


What lurks in the shadows

by batmanforeverlol



Series: Just a bunch of scriddler Aus [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Freeform-Edward, Freeform-Jonathan, I Tried, M/M, Sorry if they're a little ooc, There are some elements of fantasy in this, canon? never heard of her, creature Jon, everything is the same except for Jonathan, monster au, no beta we die like men, riddler Ed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-11 07:39:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12930621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batmanforeverlol/pseuds/batmanforeverlol
Summary: Edward is forced to make a deal with a creature he encounters in the the middle of the night.





	1. The encounter

Walking alone at night in Gotham was a bad idea. Anybody with a brain would avoid doing such a thing. He just wanted to get home and he didn't care how he got there. 

Stupid henchmen couldn't do anything right. He had to go and do things himself like always. How hard was it to make a simple delivery? Even the stupidest of them could have done such a simple task but yet they still managed to mess it up. Now his hand was bleeding and he didn't have the energy to care. He would look at it when he got home, it wasn't something that required his immediate attention. It wasn't something he would normally do but today he was exhausted. 

He entered the park which was dark but the street lamps covered the path with warm yellow light. The light didn’t help him see what was next to him, just what was in front, another reason why he decided to walk a little bit faster. 

The dried leaves crunched under his feet and a sudden gust of cold wind made him realize he should have brought a warmer coat. He continued walking with his hands in his pockets not caring if they got stained and he stopped. In front of him was darkness, some of the street lamps had turned off and only a few feet away was the light of the others. And yet he felt uneasy. 

There was something there. He couldn't explain it, he just had the feeling that he should turn the other way. He felt as if something was looking at him, his shoulders tensed and he shivered because the temperature had dropped all of the sudden. With a deep breath he took a step forward and continued walking despite every cell in his being telling him to run the other way. He was almost in the light again when something caught his eye. He turned to his right and next to him was a bench, he couldn't see it in detail but he could tell it was old and that there was someone sitting on it. 

His mind was screaming at him to keep walking, to get away from here and to go to the safety of the light but he stayed standing there. Despite the sense of dread that was controlling him, his curiosity edged him to figure out what was there. To discover what was so close to him but he couldn't see. The bench creaked indicating that the figure had moved and he felt as if it was staring right at him and that he was staring right back.

“Who are you?”

His voice was trembling and so was he. Despite the feeling of dread that had surrounded him he wanted to know, he needed to know. 

“You are afraid.”

The voice wasn’t loud but it wasn't a whisper either. It was low, husky but it was dead, there was no emotion behind it. It reminded him of the wind for some reason. 

“That doesn't answer my question?”

“What makes you think I want to answer it?”

“You started talking to me.”

“And you took that as an invitation for a conversation?”

“We’re conversing now aren't we?”

Why was he talking to it? He somehow managed to make himself sound more confident but his voice still wavered. There was silence between them and the feeling of unease started to slowly crawl back from him. 

“I suppose we are.”

“Are you going to answer my question?”

“That depends if you answer mine.”

“Well, I asked first.”

It huffed.

“Very well, I'm nothing .”

“That not an answer.”

“It's the truth.”

He started to feel frustrated all of the sudden. Who did this thing think it was? Did it know who it was talking to? 

“Fine.”

The feeling of unease had almost left him completely and he started to walk away. 

“You can't leave.”

The voice was louder, it sounded more solid, and it made him stop. He turned his head to face whatever was talking to him,”Why not?”

“You didn’t let me ask my question.”

“Why should I? You didn't answer mine.” 

“I did. It's not my fault it wasn't the answer you were expecting but it's an answer.”

The darkness moved closer to him and he could see that one place was darker than the rest, if that was even possible he did not know. The light bulb of the street lamp nearest to him started to flicker as the darkness got closer. When it was right in front of him the light bulb exploded, the noise making him jump and another source of light was gone. 

The thing must have had a face because he left something breathe close to his ear. The temperature had plummeted, if he was complaining about the weather before he would be complaining now. It felt as if the air itself was frozen, his fingertips started to feel numb and he was starting to worry about the injury on his hand. Then something, probably a hand, touched his cheek and it made his hair at the stand on end. 

Whatever it was must have never felt warmth and it was somehow colder than the air around him. He started to shiver and he couldn't feel his cheek. Whatever warmth he had was gone as soon as that thing touched him. Suddenly, he stopped feeling scared, the nervousness, the dread had disappeared. Just like the warmth. 

“Ask your question.” He managed to say through chattering teeth. He didn't want to give in to whatever it wanted but the longer it stayed here the sooner he was going to freeze. 

“Why did you summon me?” The creature whispered in his ear. 

“Summon you…...I didn’t summon you. I didn't summon anything!” 

It removed its hand from his cheek, it brought something close to his face and he couldn't see the object clearly. The thing took one of his hands, the uninjured one, and he placed the object in it. 

“You performed the ritual and here I am. Whether you intended it to happen or not, it doesn't matter. What's done is done and now tell me, what do you want?”

“What do I want?”

“Money and power are what most people want. I can give you anything you want.”

“Are you a demon?”

The thing chuckled and it sent shivers down his spine. The creature's voice was already empty but it's laugh was worse. It sounded sinister and looking for blood. 

“I'm no demon child. You’re not the first to make the mistake and you won’t be the last. I'm something much more powerful.”

“What if I don't want anything from you?” 

“That's not something you want to find out.”

Edward didn't want to die and he was in the presence of an all powerful being. Now that he thought about it, he could twist this to his advantage. He wouldn't need to hire anymore useless henchmen if the creature did all the work for them. It could defend him from his enemies and intimidate the rest. The bat wouldn't be able to hurt him, he could finally defeat him. 

“What do you get from all of this?”

It chuckled again, “You ask a lot of questions. Usually the rest just ask for what they want not bothering to know the consequences. The price for your wish is simple, your soul.” 

“I thought you weren't a demon.”

“Souls are a necessity to others, not just demons.” 

“And by necessity you mean-” 

“We need them in order to survive.” 

He knew that this was going to have a price but he wasn't expecting this. If he refused he was dead, if he agreed he was dead either way, so at least he was going to get something out of this ordeal.

“I want you to work for me.”

The creature growled, “You want to use me as a servant!”

“That's my wish, and if you want my soul then you're going to have to earn it.” 

“What would be the terms of my service?”

“You are to protect me from harm and do my bidding.”

“For how long would this contract last?”

“Until I see I have no use for you, I will release you from it.” 

The creature stepped away from him , it's growl growing louder. It moved away from Edward and it released an unholy sound that resembled a roar. It was low but it was also combined with a screech, there was no living thing that could create such a sound. This however did have some emotion to it, it was angry and frustrated. Edward hoped that he never had to hear such a sound ever again. It made his skin crawl and the fear was slowly returning to him. 

“Very well child, have your wish.” 

A sudden gust of wind shacked the trees around him and the cold was gone. He felt his hand and cheek again, he felt warm again, as if the cold was never there to begin with. 

“What is your name?” 

“I have no human name. My name is only one that the trees and wind can pronounce. When I said I was nothing it was the truth, I'm the last of my kind. We have been forgotten by your kind and the others, to their eyes I am nothing.” 

“Why are you telling me this now? The first time I asked you, it seemed you didn't even want to approach the matter, but now-”

“We have a deal and I am at your service. As much as I despise it, I cannot lie to you now, I answer to you and you alone.” 

“Did you sacrifice your freedom and free will for this? For my soul?”

“I had to. Since my kind is no more, man has forgotten my existence and how to summon me. I was surprised when I received your call, it must have been decades since my last summoning.” 

“If your dying how are you going to keep your end of the deal?”

“I have lived this long because I take the souls of others without creating a contract. These souls don't last much because of it, so I had to make a deal and you were the first to cross my path. Another option was to continue feeding on the flesh of others, but since I am bound to you I can feed off your energy and continue to hunt.”

“Very well then. Since you have no name I can pronounce then I shall give you one. What do you think about Jonathan?” 

“Jonathan… It sounds familiar. I accept it. What do I call you?”

“My name is Edward, Edward Nygma.”

“Well Edward, the people you saw at the docks are following you and they are not too far behind.” 

He turned to look behind him but there was nothing there.

“Following….There's nobody th-”

The street lamps were turned on, the bench was empty and the darkness had disappeared. He decided to listen and he started running.


	2. Painting the alleys red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some violence in this chapter and I guess some minor gore. Just a heads up but if there's something here that I didn't mention and I should, please let me know.  
> 

Edward had left the park behind a few blocks back and he had to stop to catch his breath. He noticed that he was still holding the object that Jonathan placed on his hand. 

He leaned on a side of a wall and opened his clenched fist. It was a black feather, maybe a crow’s or raven’s, small enough to fit in his hand. He brought it close to his face and he saw that the feather had three drops of blood. 

So this was the ritual that he mentioned. He knew he should've taken care of his hand, he knew it! This is what happens when he ignores to take care of himself, he digs himself a bigger hole and buries himself in it. 

Ok but now he knew how to summon Jonathan but he still had no idea what he was. He knew he was powerful and old enough to be forgotten. But that lead him nowhere, he didn't know a lot about the supernatural to begin with but his was just ridiculous. This was going to take longer than he expected, so he just pocketed the feather for further examination. 

The faint sound of screeching tires told him that he should continue running, they were still behind him and they were getting closer. 

Why didn't he take the car? He always took the car, but no he had to walk back. Now they had a car, and they were going to catch up to him faster than he could get away. One of his apartments wasn't too far from here, so he started to walk again. Running would tire him out faster but he needed to keep moving. 

By some miracle he made it arrived at the back alley of his apartment, all he needed to do was open the back door and get inside. He was taking out his keys when he heard a small click. Slowly turning around to face the source of the sound, he saw a man pointing a gun at him. 

“Is there something you need?”

“Yeah, boss wasn't too pleased with what you gave him. Says you stole from him.”

“I did no such thing! It was his lack of knowledge that led him to accept my price and that is not my problem. Well if that's all, I do need to get going.”

“Listen freak you're going nowhere, not until I get back that money!” 

Edward was about to say something but the next thing he knew the guy was screaming and blood was splattered across the floor. Looking more closely he saw that the man was trying to somehow contain the bleeding that was the result of his hand not being where its suppose to be. Now anybody else would be freaking out and calling 911, but Edward wasn't anybody else. 

He couldn't call 911 because, he's a criminal, that's not something you do. And where did the guys hand go? He was more intrigued by that mystery and by what or how the hand disappeared. 

He noticed that anything outside the alley was complete darkness, it was like staring into the void. Something must have grabbed the man because he was screaming for something to let him go, but he was dragged into the darkness nevertheless. 

He heard clothes ripping and bones snapping. Somehow the man was still alive because the screaming wasn't stopping. They finally did with a final sickening snap and the darkness slowly started to fade. 

Whatever he was expecting to see this was not it. He was met with the sight of a creature, its head was a skull that looked like it belonged to a dog or wolf but it had horns. They were pointed and twisted around, it reminded him of the branches of bare trees in winter. It didn't seem to have eyes but it was tall and skeletal, it had black fur but it also had feathers. 

It continue to tear into the corpse until the sound of footsteps was growing near. 

“The stairs, go!”

He didn't see Jonathan's mouth move but his voice was just like it was in the park. He glanced at the emergency outdoor staircase and did as he was told. 

More henchman appeared and they were attacked as soon as they came into view. Claws dug into skin drawing blood, teeth tore apart limbs and crushed bones. Some screamed others started shooting but it kept moving so no bullets would touch him. 

He took out all of them and was about to finish him off when he fired his gun. It hit him in the shoulder but it didn't react. He stared at the injury that had started to bleed and then back at its victim. 

He was trembling so hard he couldn't point the gun straight. Before the man could shoot again, it lunged at him and ripped out his throat. 

Jonathan didn't stop to notice the carnage around him as he continued to rip the flesh off its victim. The metallic stench of blood stained the air and the floor and walls of the alley were painted red. 

Edward, after having witnessed the savage act of violence, was glad he accepted to create this deal. After the vivid imagery, he didn't want to think what it would have done to him if he refused. 

Looking back at his eldritch guard dog, he noticed that it wasn't just killing the thugs but it was eating them too. Any thoughts of having diner or breakfast were soon thrown out the window. 

Edward decided to go back down the stairs now that he was in no immediate danger, that is if Jonathan didn't decide to eat him too. It must have noticed his presence because it's ears twitch at the sound of his footsteps. 

“You don't look like what I was expecting.”

Jonathan turned to face him and somehow the image of it after the carnage was more terrifying than before. The bleached white bone of its face was stained red, the color drenched its hands, claws and chest. It showed no mercy and there was no hesitation in its actions. 

“Well, what were you expecting to see, a man with horns and a tail?” 

That was one of his first options he noticed how silly the idea was now that he was looking at it. 

“Maybe, you were hiding in the park.”

“You seem unfazed by the recent events.”

“If by events you mean you devouring those idiots, this is Gotham, there's a crime scene like this every other week. But you'll need to clean this up, I don't want the attention of the authorities right now.” 

It nodded and turned back to face the mess if bodies, limbs, blood and organs that decorated the alley. Dark black smoke started to cover the alley in complete darkness but there was something about it that made him close his eyes. 

He suddenly felt alone but at the same time he felt like he was being observed, dissected. He felt anxious, something about this darkness reminded him of things he wish he could forget. And then it was gone. 

He slowly opened his eyes and there was no darkness, no blood, no bodies, it was as if nothing happened. Even the blood that had stained Jonathan was gone. 

“Anything else you need? These were the only men sent by the man from the docks. I killed them before they could send out your location, I doubt they'll find you now.” 

He stared at Jonathan, the smoke was some sort of magic, that much he had concluded. He was fascinated but at the same time he never wanted to get near it again. 

“I suppose that's all.”

Jonathan started to make his way out of the alley but was stopped by the sound of Edward’s voice. 

“Do you have place to go to?”

“No, but I have set up residence in the park. If you require anything, use the feather, I'll receive your message.”

“You could stay here.” He blurted out without thinking. Where was he going to keep it? How was it going to fit? It must be at least seven and half feet tall if not taller. He didn't even know what this thing was, oh it could destroy his place for all he knew. 

“If that is what you want.”

Great, great now he had to let it stay with him. It's in times like these that he hated himself. 

“Okay but I doubt you'll fit through the door.”

He unlocked it and walked inside, he turned around and held the door open for his accidental guest. Jonathan tilted his head but started walking nonetheless. With each he step he took, he started to get smaller and when he was inside the apartment complex he was just a few inches taller than Edward. He led the way to the doors that led to his apartment and he finally, finally was home. 

Jonathan had closed the door behind him and he just stood by it. The skull he had for a face didn't really allow them to express any sort of emotion, that is of that was something they were capable of doing in the first place, but they looked uncomfortable. Like it was unsure of what to do or where to stand. 

The question now was where were they going to sleep, that is if they slept. 

Edward took of his shoes and removed his coat and hat. Jonathan was analyzing the space before them. It was something they had never seen before. The human homes they had seen were usually plain, old and uncared for but this place was something else. 

Edward turned on the lights and the space looked so much better. Jonathan’s eyes roamed over a coffee table made of glass but the way the light hit it reminded him of crystals. Everything looked like it had a purpose in the room and a specific place assigned to it. If anything moved out of place, it would throw off the balance that the room had. 

They watched Edward walk around and disappear into other rooms. They didn't belong here, everything was so smooth and looked fragile.

“Well there's a extra room where you can stay-”

He followed Edward, being careful about where they were stepping and what was around him. The room was nice. Nice wouldn't do it justice, it was something they never imagined having, they had lived in a forest after all, and this was the first time he was inside a human’s house. The room wasn't huge but it was minuscule either. It was spacious, most because of the lack of furniture but whatever furniture it had, it complemented everything in it. 

“This is mine?” This situation perplexed them, they never had anything this nice and they never had somebody give them something before. 

“For the time being. Well I'll see you later today.” And with that Edward made his way down the hallway to another room and he closed the door behind him. 

Their chest suddenly felt heavy when Edward left them alone, it was odd to say the least. Maybe it was just them being hurt by the bullet. Speaking of which, they pulled it out from the wound and paid no more attention to it. 

For the next few hours they couldn't sleep, they sat on the floor because he couldn't make himself lay on the bed. Their thoughts went back to Edward and if he was okay. They remembered their hand injury and went to the room to go check on him.

They found him sleeping, so they healed his hand as silently as possible. When they were done, they didn't want to leave him. They felt this tug in their chest and they knew they couldn't leave. Instead they settled for the carpeted floor. After curling themselves into a comfortable positions, they closed their eyes and took a deep breath. The feeling in their chest had left them and they slowly started to drift into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this in my phone and instead of sleeping, so there might be some mistakes. I might go over this some day but not today. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy the update and thank you all for the nice comments!


	3. I'm just curious!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think there's anything I should mention but if you guys think there is, just let me know.  
> A longer chapter to celebrate the holidays and Happy Yule!!

How long has it been since they were here? How long was it since they felt the blades of grass against their skin? They stood up and gazed at the small creek with the small waterfall created by a few stack of rocks. The trees were behind them and the forest continued across from them. They were home.

The night sky was clear, like it always was. The stars, there used to be so many, they missed them. Seeing them every night comforted them, made them feel less alone. They had memorized all their patterns and where they could guide them, but now so many had disappeared. The water was clear and you could see the sky reflected in it. They could see the fish and other creatures swim, some of the plants were emitting their usual glow, creating lights of different colors. They wished it was real, they knew it wasn't. This was a dream after all, a memory they wished they could revive. 

They sat down on a stone and dipped their feet in the water. It was cold but they didn’t mind, a soft breeze ruffled their fur and it felt nice. They defiantly missed this, not that they would admit it to anyone. They touched a patch of the dirt next to them and grass started to grow and different flowers started to bloom. They plucked one of them and looked at it, it looked real, felt real. They placed it on the water and watched as it slowly drifted away from them. They sighed, stood up and made their way into the forest. 

The trees towered above them, one would think they would cover the view of the sky but no, you could see it clearly. The air smelled fresh, it smelled of rain. The grass here was longer and it covered most of the ground. There were bushes of different kinds and the flowers they knew so well. As they walked flowers bloomed everywhere they stepped, they missed when they were able to do that. They touched the bark of one of the trees, why was it so real? They didn’t want it to be, they knew it was a lie but part of them, most of them wanted to believe. They wanted to pretend it was, that they were really there and that it never left. They wanted it so badly, they needed it more than anything. 

Why would the dreams come back? They had left them for years, they’ve finally taken mercy on them and yet here they were here once more. His chest felt so heavy and it was starting to get hard to breath. They hated it, how it made them feel, they had spent so much time teaching themselves not to, but no matter how hard they tried seeing and being here crashed all the walls they had built over the years alone. 

They were cursed and they knew that, no matter what they would never come back, they could never die. With a shaky breath they sat down and leaned on the tree. They stared at the small dots of light that started to emerge from the trees and plants around them. Some started to leave the flower bed that had formed around them, the fairies were the only ones that tolerated their presence and they knew it was because of all the flowers they left behind. They closed their eyes just so that they could just hear the forest around them. The shuffling of leaves, the footsteps of animals and creatures that were wondering around; but their favourite out of all of them was the soft singing of the fairies. 

Their songs could lull anything to sleep except for them because the songs were never meant for them to hear. They didn’t complain, hearing them was better than not having anything at all. They sang in an ancient language they had missed hearing. They haven't crossed a human who could speak it, how they missed hearing their name. It made them feel like they were something instead of just another creature of the shadows. 

The feeling of something tapping their back snapped them out of the trance they were in. They stood up and looked at where they were sitting but there was nothing there. They felt it again and they left themselves slowly being pulled away from their dream. The tapping started again and they knew they were waking up. Everything started to blur so they closed their eyes and when they opened them again they saw the carpet which they had laid down on the night before. 

\------

Edward had overslept, he could tell because he wasn't as tired as he would be but considering all that had happened to him the previous day, he deserved those extra hours. He sat up and took the time to stretch, with a sigh he glanced at the clock on his nightstand and he had to fight the urge to lay down again. It was already one in the afternoon but if he wanted to get anything done with the remainder of the day, he knew he needed to get up now. 

He swung his legs to the side of the bed and he was about to stand up but his feet touched something soft. Which was alarming because he remembered the carpet being lower and not having that texture. He poked whatever it was with his feet and well nothing happened. He continued to rest his feet on it as he looked at what it was. 

First of all it was black and had some kind of fur and feathers. But that was all that he could see. He poked it again just to make sure whatever it was wasn't alive or trying to kill him, and as previously mentioned it did nothing. So he decided to just tap it with his foot because that's what normal people do when they step on something that wasn't there before. He wasn't completely thinking about what he was doing, he just woke up from a long night and he didn't really care. 

He started to stroke whatever it was with his feet, the sensation was nice and it tickled. If he could, he would do this for the remainder of the day. 

“I would appreciate it if you stopped stepping on my back. I may be your servant but that doesn't mean I’m your floor.” 

The sudden voice nearly made him jump right out of his skin. He quickly placed his feet back on the bed and stared at the floor. 

“What the hell are you doing here? I gave you a room for a reason.” 

If what he was stepping on was its back, then where was the rest of him? Edward slowly stood up and leaned on the wall behind him in order to get a better view of the floor. On one side he could see what looked like a tail, so he assumed it's legs were under his bed, the back was in the other side, next to corner was the torso and around it was the head which was resting on its folded arms. 

“Your hand was injured so I healed it. Part of our deal was that I had to protect you, and so I decided to stay and guard in case more of those men found where you stay.” 

Ok that made sense but was this really necessary? He was going to ignore the fact that he'd been stepping on them for the past five minutes and continue with his life. There was an awkward silence and he decided to go get ready in order to escape the situation. 

Exiting his bathroom, he was glad to see that his bedroom was empty. He made his way to the kitchen and noticed that the apartment was eerily quiet. Usually at this time the muffled sounds of honking cars and busy people could be heard but for the first time there was nothing. He looked outside the window and the cars were moving and the people were there but there was no noise. 

Jonathan was nowhere to be see which was odd because they stood out like a sore thumb everywhere they went. 

“Jonathan?”

It felt weird speaking in complete silence, it made your voice seem louder than usual. He wasn't worried about them just curious. Since he received no response he decided to carry on with his routine. He ate, cleaned up and got to work. 

He sat down in the sofa, opened his computer and started to check files, emails, the usual stuff. But he started to wonder where they could be or what they could be doing. The silence started to feel a little uncomfortable, it wasn't something he was used to but it was somethings he appreciated in certain situations. This was not one of them. 

“What's this?”

The voice appeared out of nowhere and he almost dropped his computer. 

“You have to stop doing that.”

Edward turned around and saw that Jonathan was standing behind the sofa, where they were or when they appeared were things he did not know. 

“Do what?”

“Appear out of nowhere! You almost gave me heart attack.”

“It's not my fault you're easily frightened. What is the thing you're holding?”

They sounded amused by the whole ordeal, a sentiment that Edward didn’t share. He glanced at his computer and back at them. 

“It's a computer, I use for work.”

They titled their head as if to tell him to go continue with his explanation. 

“It allows me to access files, accounts, the internet. You do know what the internet is?”

“No.”

“To put it simply its a large data bank that I can access for information and use to communicate.”

“Its a type of book?”

“No, it's not a book.” Whatever patience he had had left him. “You can use it to buy and read books but its not a book. It's more complicated.”

“I see.”

They then stayed quiet, not wanting to return to the silence he decided he should at least try to communicate with them. 

“You can sit on the couch you know, just don't get it dirty.” 

They didn't answer but they hesitated before they made their way to the front side of the sofa. They stood there for a second before they sat down a few spaces away from Edward and remained silent. Looks like he was the one that needs to put all the effort in trying to have a conversation. 

“Where did you go?” He turned to face them but they noticed something was different from when he saw them last night, like there was something different. He knew they had made themselves smaller in order to fit inside but it was something else. 

“What happened to your horns?” He was thinking aloud, something that he would occasionally do, but he didn't intend for them to hear it. They were a puzzle, no no no, they were more of a mystery or better yet a puzzle wrapped in a mystery. Oh how this was going to be fun! 

“Horns?”

“You had them yesterday.” 

“Ah, they weren't going to let me pass through the doorway so I got rid of them. Before you ask, no I did not remove them I just hid them.” 

“How?” Hid them? If they hid them that meant that they were still there but where? 

“Magic.” 

“So are you some sort of magical being? Magic isn't real.” 

“You're a man of science, telling from the collection of books that are centered towards technological advances and science. It's only natural for you to dismiss magic as something nonexistent but it's very real. You don't take into consideration what I've demonstrated last night in order to protect you or our meeting in the park. This world has magic and you've seen it but through the lense of science.” 

“I'm not a scientist, I'm an inventor, a genius. Everything you've done has a logical explanation behind it and I just need to discover it.” 

“Very well, a man of logic then. Then if magic doesn't exist, then logically explain my existence.” 

“You're a meta human or alien.” 

“You don't believe in magic but aliens are real to you.” 

“We have proof of aliens, just look at the kryptonian in Metropolis.” 

“Explain then how I hid my horns.” 

“You're powers or abilities.”

They turned to look at him and all the sudden the horns were back. 

“I'm no meta human and I am of earth.” 

“Then what are you?!”

They sighed and looked at the floor.

“I've already told you I'm nothing now.”

“But before?”

They took a breath and suddenly he could that they were uncomfortable and that horrible silence returned. 

“I was...a spirit.”

Now that was interesting. He closed his computer, placed it on the small coffee table, turned around to face them, and leaned on the arm rest. He tilted his head just like they had done when they asked about the internet and computer. 

“I was a forest spirit but not anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because there is no more forest.” Those last words were cold and bitter but their voice had changed, it wavered just a little bit. Anybody would have missed it but Edward wasn't anybody. 

“What happened to it?” His voice also changed, it was softer, still looking for answers, but instead of wanting to extract them by any means necessary, this time it sounded like he was willing to wait. He suddenly felt like one of the doctors at Arkham, always asking questions about him and what had led him to become what he was. The thought made him feel a little nauseous. 

He brought his knees close to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He was like a child who was about to hear a story. 

“It's a long story, one I would ra-”

“I have time.” He didn't mean to interrupt but he just wanted to know. His curiosity always got the better of him. 

They sighed again, but turned around to face him. 

“I was a spirit of the forest, you could say a fae but they would be greatly insulted. I know I'm part fae but the rest is a mystery even to me. 

I remember just being there since the beginning I suppose, or my memory is ready starting to fail me.I knew that I was there to protect and guard the forest and the beings that live in it, but that didn't mean that I was welcomed. 

The fairies and fae would want nothing to do with me.I was a half blood and they are strict about technicalities like those. They just accepts others like them and humans with the sight.” 

“What's the sight?” 

“Humans that can see us have the sight. It's extremely rare nowadays, there aren't many left, faery bloodlines are growing scarce and soon there will be none left.”

“I'm sorry, but did you say faery blood lines, as in -”

“Yes. Not all humans with the sight are halflings or descendent of faery blood but most are.”

“Do I have it?”

“No.”

“But I can-”

“That's because I allow you to see me but we are getting off track. As I was saying, they wanted nothing to do with them and so I let them be. The forest became my home and there I learned its magic and I built upon my knowledge and I started to become more powerful. 

Except for one night, I don't remember what happened or how it came to be but there was a fire. It might have been a human but I can't remember. 

I tried to stop the flames but they had spread to far and were too strong. They consumed everything in their path, until they finally consumed me.  
I remember nothing but darkness until I awoke someplace foreign, it was this place, this city. 

Many years had passed, I survived and so did a part of the forest. A small sapling and it was a miracle but its was all I have left. 

Man continues to build their building and streets but I made sure they didn't harm it. I made them build a park around it, a place where it could grow and a place that I could once again call home but it was never truly the same thing. 

The only reason I am alive is because of that tree. I'm no forest spirit, I'm just a ghost of what I used to be.”

“If the tree is still there why do you need souls?” 

“It took a whole forest to keep me alive, a single tree won't do much in comparison.” 

“I see. You being a forest spirit explains why your horns look like branches.”

“That's because they are branches. Were branches.” 

“So did have leaves at one point?” 

“Yes, it was all according to the seasons. Flowers is spring, leaves and the occasional fruit in summer, golden and red leaves in autumn, and they would be bare during winter.” 

“Why don't they have leaves now?” 

“They were burnt in the fire, nothing has grown ever since.”

“Can I look?” 

They didn't answer for minute, they were looking at the floor again but they nodded and Edward stood up and sat kneeled next to them. They lowered their head a little and slowly they materialized in front of him. They were black and last night they looked smooth but now he could see the cracks that resembled scars. They reminded him of charcoal and without thinking he lifted his hand and gently ran his fingers across them. 

They were cool and rough, it definitely reminded him of burnt wood. He didn't notice how Jonathan had stopped moving the moment his fingers touched them. He didn't notice how they became stiff and uncomfortable, he was too focused on the sight and feeling of what was in front of him. His fingers continued to explore the surface in front of them and slowly, Jonathan began to relax. 

They've never been touched like this before, it was soft, gentle, like he wasn't trying to hurt them. The fairies wouldn't hurt him too much, they just teased and mocked most of the time but the fae, the fae could be cruel. But this was so different, their chest starting feeling a little tight all the sudden, just like when Edward had left them last night. 

He started to touch the back of the skull without really realizing. It was smooth but it also had cracks and he slowly started to trace them. 

“Was your face always a skull?” His voice was smooth and gentle just like his touch. 

“No.” Their answer came in the form of a whisper but their voice was small, vulnerable. 

He noticed the change and said, “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.” 

“I had a face, I don't remember how I used to look but it was take by the fire.”

“And all that remained was your skull.” 

“Yes.”

Edward noticed how maybe he was touching a risky subject and that he was touching them without having asked for their permission. He stopped after realizing what he was doing and he looked at his fingers, they had black dust on them just as they would if they had touched charcoal. Interesting. 

“Are you a sphinx?” 

He was taken back by the sudden and unusual question. “No.”

“There is no magic in your blood yet you ask so many questions you could pass for one.” 

“Well I'm a curious, I like to know things it doesn't matter if it's boring or interesting, information is information. But you certainly are very interesting. I do have another question for you, what happened to the noise?”

“The noise...Ah yes, my apologies. For all the years that I've lived here I still can't get used to the amount of noise you humans make.”

They snapped their fingers and then everything was back, the honking and talking people it was all there, and Edward was relieved that he didn’t need to stay another second in that silent prison. 

“Thank you.”

“I will make note not to remove the sound again, it seemed that the lack of it caused you some distress.”

“How did you-”

“I'm not sure, it's something I've always been able to do but I do not know why. Though it's not uncommon, the fae can sense emotions so I suppose it comes from there but there are many unknowns in my life so one can never be certain.”

Neither of them had moved and they were sitting close to each other, too close. Jonathan still wasn't looking at him but he didn't mind. He looked at the empty eye socket and noticed a faint, almost invisible spot which was light blue. 

“Do you have eyes?” He asked while still looking at the speck of light which was surrounded by darkness. 

“Yes.”

“Why can’t I see them?”

“Why would you want to?”

“I already told you, I’m curious person who needs to know things.”

They sighed and shook their head, maybe they had found his comment funny or maybe they were starting to get annoyed. People tended to do that a lot and it wasn't everyday he stumbled upon someone who was willing to answer his tidal wave of questions. 

“I will show you my eyes if you let me ask you a question.”

“Okay, seems fair.”

“Where do you come from?” They changed the subject away from themselves, they were already the subject of discussion for too long. 

“Me?” 

“Well you are the only here with me.”

“I..I…” He should have said no, when people asked questions it was always about That, about his stupid past. He should have known but he was asking them about the same thing so maybe it was just them being curious or trying to make conversation by following his example. He should have just stayed quiet…..stupidstupidstupid stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidvstupidstupidstupidvstupidstupidstupidstupidstup-

His train of thought halted when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He would have jumped but his attention was elsewhere. 

“You don't need to if you don't want to. This is clearly a topic which makes you uncomfortable, distressed...afraid. I apologize Edward I’ll remember not to bring it up again.”

Their voice was almost soothing, long gone were the frail whispers and instead there was a voice that was quiet but solid. He looked to identify the weight on his shoulder and it was Jonathan’s clawed hand. He started to focus on that instead in order to pull his attention from thoughts he didn't want to acknowledge. They looked like they were about to say something when they were interrupted by a series of loud knocks coming from the front door. They removed their hand from his shoulder and looked at them. 

“Don't look at me I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“EDDIE OPEN THE DOOR!!! WE GOT LUNCH!!” The muffled voice was unmistakably that of Harley Quinn and it was very likely the rest of the sirens were there with her.

He stood up, checked who it was and yes it was them. He wasn't expecting guests and he definitely didn't know how to explain the eldritch being currently sitting on his sofa in the living room. 

“Okay...okay okay, go hide.”

“Where?”

“I don't know, just do it!”

“But if something were to happen-”

“Nothing is going to happen to me, JUST GO!” Okay that last part came louder than intended and, oh my god the trio outside his door might have heard his sudden outburst and he didn’t want to deal with them asking why he was talking to himself.

“OKay EDDIE since ya not opening the door looks like i'm gonna need to bust it open!”

“NO WAIT! I'm coming Harley!”

“FOODS GETTING COLD!”

“Okay I’m going to go out there and stall them for as long as possible and you are going to hide- no! No complaining go wherever but stay out of sight!”

Without waiting for an answer he opened the door stepped outside and closed it behind him.

‘Ladies! So nice to see you invited yourselves to my home.”

“Ah! Come on Eddie we brought lunch!” Harley with her ever bouncy pig tails and constant smile was the one carrying most if not all of the bags that contained said lunch. 

“I had no say in this.” Next to her was Pamela which he referred as Pam when she didn't want to turn him to fertilizer. 

“Nice to see you too Pamela”

“So are you going to invite us in? It's rude to keep the girls waiting outside.” And Selina. He normally wouldn't oppose to said interruption in his day. He enjoyed Harley and Selina’s company and he tolerated Pamela so all was well, but today was no ‘normally’. 

“Well the place is a mess you see, someone broke in last night and left quite the mess.”

“Aha.” Selina gave him a look that indicated she wasn't buying what he was selling and Pamela was glaring at him. 

“Eddie I’m going to open the door now.”

“I can’t let you do that Lina!” He slammed his back against the door, clearly not wanting to step out of the way. 

Pamela sighed, pulled him out of the way before he could protest, and opened the door. He just prayed, prayed Jonathan did what he was told. They walked inside and he followed them in, closing the door behind him. 

“Yeah the place looks like a real mess Mista E!” She went towards the kitchen with the bags of food and started to serve it.

“Your hiding something.” Pamela looked unimpressed, almost bored. As if this was the hundredth time she had to do this. 

“The question is what.”

“I have nothing to hide.”

“Real convincing after the stunt you just pulled.”

“Oh shut it Pam!”

He was too focused on not letting her get to him when he failed to notice that Selina was starting to make her way towards the door leading to his room. 

“Edwards Nigma! You better have a damn good explanation for this!”

He ran to where she was and practically screamed, “Wait Lina I can explain!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like this.


	4. Ice cream, the exchange, a car ride and books

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive, sorry for the late update, I've been writing bits and pieces of this when I had time so I'm sorry if things seem out of place. I can't write the sirens and I apologize for that.

Oh god, how was going to explain this? He went inside and found Selina holding a cat. 

“You had a cat this whole time and you didn’t tell me? I thought we were friends Eddie!”

The cat was glaring at him and it didn’t seem to like being picked up. It’s eyes were a vibrant blue and it had black fur but its paws were white. It made it look like it was wearing socks. 

“Cat…..right yeah my cat. It never came up in our conversations so I didn’t mention it.” 

“Hmm hmm. Well what's the little guy’s name? Oh he’s adorable with his little boots!”

Her anger forgotten and replaced by her fondness of cats. 

“Jon…..athan. Yes. Jonathan. ”

He spoke without thinking, something he rarely did but seemed to indulge in his current situation. 

“Harley! Pam! Come look at what I found!”

Shoving him aside she walked back to the living room and Harley's excited screech indicate that she’d met ‘John’. In the living room he found Harley hugging the poor thing and rubbing her cheek against it. John looked as if they would rather be anywhere else. After eating they sat down while Harley still held the cat hostage. 

“Harl I think you should let him go, he doesn’t look too happy.”

“But Pam! He’s adorable!” 

The permanent glare that was directed at him intensified. She was about to pet their head but they hissed and scratched her hand. Harley yelped and they took the opportunity to jump off her legs and hide underneath the couch. 

Harley pouted while looking at her hand. 

Pam shook her head, “I told you so. Come on lets clean that we don't know where he’s been.”

They walked back to the kitchen while Selina turned to face him. 

“Where did you get him by the way?”

“I was in the park and he followed me home. If I had it my way, I would have left him outside.”

“And I thought it was because you were a kind person.” 

“Believe me when I say I had no choice in the matter.” 

“Mhmm. Well if you don't want him here I could take him. He’ll fit right in with the others.” 

“I’m not opposed to the idea but…”

“Aw you like him! Who would have thought Edward Nigma would adopt an alley cat?”

He rolled his eyes. Jonathan peeked his head from beneath the couch and seeing that Harley wasn't in the area he left his hiding place and sat down between both of them. 

As soon as Edward closed the door behind them he turned and sighed at the mess left in his kitchen. 

“Of all the things you could have done, you turned into a cat.” 

“Cats are common human companions, I figured it would be easier to explain instead of a crow.” 

They returned to their original eldritch state and returned to sit on the sofa. Edward picked up some plates and gave them a look. 

“Would you kindly?” 

Both of them started to clean up and Jonathan was intrigued by some of the kitchenware. He had been around humans but never inside one of their homes. 

“And this keeps everything cold?” 

“Yes, it's called a refrigerator but we usually say fridge for short.”

“And it doesn't have snow?”

“No, no snow, but we do use it to make ice.” 

They nodded and opened it to have a look inside. Edwards finished placing the last plate on the drying rack and he went back to his computer. His phone buzzed beside him and he opened the message. At last, the supplies he ordered had finally arrived after an unwanted delay, courtesy of the bat, now he could finish without having to worry about Oswald putting a price on his head. 

Another text to let him know at what time it would arrive and another reminding him to bring the second payment. He usually didn't buy his material but he couldn't risk being thrown into Arkham at the moment. He also wasn’t going to go as the Riddler, seeing as the exchange was going to happen in broad daylight and that wearing a bright green suit and walking with a question mark cane wouldn't help in keeping a low profile. Loud crunching broke him out of his thoughts and he turned to the kitchen. It stopped for a moment and then started again. He sighed and made his way over. 

“Are you... eating ice cubes?”

On the floor was Jonathan who was sitting in front of the opened fridge holding an almost empty tray of ice cubes. The moment he spoke the crunching stopped and they slowly finished chewing the cube before turning to look at him. 

“Yes. I thought you humans ate them too.”

“Some do, but we usually use them to keep our drinks cold.”

They nodded and took an ice cube before placing the tray back in the fridge. The crunching started again they tilted their head and took something out. 

“What’s this?”

“Thats ice cream, it's a kind of desert, its sweet. I take it you never had it before.”

“No. Is it what humans eat in small cones? Many of you have them in the summer.”

“Yeah that's it. You want to try some?”

They nodded. Edward got two spoons and handed one to them. They hesitated before slowly taking it, making sure not to get their claws too close to him. The spoon was a little small for their hands but that didn't seem to be a problem. He sat down on the floor across from them and took the ice cream tube. 

“I hope you don’t mind strawberry, seeing as it's the only flavor I have.”

He opened it and scooped some with his spoon and ate it. They slowly scooped some ice cream and brought it close to their face. They sniffed it, opened their mouth, and licked the spoon. 

“So, how was it?” 

He was genuinely surprised to discover that Jonathan had a tongue. Apparently having a skull for a face didn't stop them from having one. 

“I would rather have the ice.” 

“Too sweet?”

“Yes, is this some type of snow?” 

“I suppose. It looks and feels like it but it doesn't taste like snow.” 

“It doesn't taste like strawberries either.” 

“It doesn't but the taste is similar enough to pass for it.”

He puts the ice cream back and goes to wash his spoon, they watch him for a moment before they stand up to do the same. 

“I have to go pick up some things to pick up so we’ll be leaving soon.”

They simply nodded in response. 

The noise outside had died down a bit but it was still present. He decided to take the car this time, in order to make up for last night's mistakes. Traffic was merciful, so he arrived at his destination with no problem. He parked the car a few blocks away, took the briefcase and started to walk. A crow flew down silently and melted into his shadows but he didn't seem to notice. For someone who claims to be a genius, he could be completely oblivious of his surroundings. He reached the abandoned warehouse, it wasn't his, he wasn't dumb enough to give away the location of his current workplace, but he could use a decoy in case batman had a pair of eyes on the streets. He made sure not to wear anything too fancy since he was in That part of town. 

Once inside he let out a breath of air as he looked around the dusty and cobweb-ridden place. The small windows allowed for soft streams of light that illuminated the ground before him. He checked his watch, they would be here soon but Jonathan was nowhere to be seen. 

“I'm right here.” 

The whispers made him jump and he turned around. 

“Well I can't see you.”

“That's because you're not looking at the right place. Down here.” 

He lowered his gaze.

“Behind you. In your shadow.” There was a hint of impatience in their ‘voice’ but he did look over his shoulder and truth be told, his shadow wasn't his own. 

Instead of the regular humanoid figure was something large, the horns were clearly defined and there were two small glowing spots where their eyes should be. It slithered across the floor and slid up a wall giving the illusion of it standing there.

“So this is how you usually travel? It looks impractical, do travel shadow to shadow or do you just become in and slither around the floor?” 

“Both.”

“This is where decided to view the exchange?” 

“Yes.” 

“Why don't you just stand here, it's not like they can see you unless you want them to.” 

Before they could speak, loud knocking interrupted them. The door slid open and two men walked in, one of them was carrying a suitcase. 

“Gentlemen! How kind of you to arrive on time, you have no idea how many people are so unprofessional that they don't consider the fact the the rest of us have schedules.” 

“You have the money?” It seemed like the one holding the suitcase would be the one doing the talking. 

“Straight to the point I see.” He held up the briefcase for the men to see. “ And you have what I asked for, correct?” 

The man with the suitcase walked up, placed the suitcase on the floor and opened it. He checked every item and everything seemed to be in order. 

“It's a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen.” He handed one of the briefcase and he closed the suitcase. He brushed some invisible dust from his suit and was about to start leaving when one of them decided to speak. 

“Where’s the rest of it?”

“It's all there. We agreed on two separate payments, both have been fulfilled and if you don't mind I’ll be on my way.” 

He turned around and the sound of a gun click stopped him. 

“Do you really think that I’m going to carry infinite amounts of cash wherever I go?” He put his hands up and turned to face them. “Because if you do, you truly are a complete set of idiots. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” 

The man with the gun started walking towards him and then fell flat on this face. 

“What the hell?!” 

He tried to stand up but was pulled back down and dragged towards the shadows. He tried to get a hold of the floor or anything that would stop him from being dragged away. He shouted at the other man to help him and he was engulfed by the darkness. Screams and the sounds of the tearing of skin and clothes filled the warehouse. The man who originally held the suitcase started to take small steps backwards. The sudden silence made him freeze on his path. The absence of noise hung in the atmosphere and neither made a sound. 

The gun came flying from the shadows and landed on the floor, skipping a few times until it was at the feet of the man. Small pools of blood stained the floor and the pool at his feet was starting to touch his shoe. He turned around to run but came face to face with a bloodied skull. He screamed and turned back but the creature released a scream of their own and lunged after him. His end came much sooner than the other. With a loud crack the man was dead and the silence returned once more. 

Edward picked up the briefcase that had been tossed and abandoned by their scurry. He made sure everything was there before the closed it and brought back to where the suitcase stood. 

“We should probably get going, I have things to do and I don't want to waste anymore time.” 

They look at him while holding a disembodied arm in their mouth and Edward felt like he was going to vomit. 

“Do you really need to tear people to shreds? I could really go without the dismembering and gutting.”

They let the arm fall with a small thud and walked back towards him. 

“Don't even bother cleaning it up.” 

Edward walked outside holding both cases. 

“You know, I'd welcome some help carrying this.”

The car ride to his real workspace was relatively uneventful; excluding the part where he tried to convince Jonathan to get inside. After several tries, the black cat was leaning on the door and trying to look out the window. 

“Usually it's dogs who want to stick their heads out the window.”

It was almost comical, there was a cat acting like a dog but who in reality was creature that looked like it came out of some fantasy novel. They sat back down on the passenger seat but an unexpected stop made then lunge forward, hit the glove compartment, and unceremoniously land on the floor. They jumped back and curled down on the seat. 

“This is your first time in a car?” It was more of a statement than a question. 

“Yes. I've seen and heard them before but I try to stay away from humans and their things.” 

The voice sounded like it was in his head because obviously their mouth wasn't moving. 

“Do you like us humans?” A weird question yes but one which he was curious to know the answer to. 

“I don’t have an opinion in the matter.”

The warehouse looked filthy and old on the outside, but it was clean and organized on the inside. It was also smaller than his fake hideout. It was filled with all kinds of equipment he would need to make any of his secret puzzles, it was modern and advanced, but nothing too fancy. Although he had the most complex security, Batman and his sidekicks always found a way to get inside and it drove him up the wall. After every crime and goose chase, they would find where he was hiding and come inside like the door was left unlocked. 

After punching in one of the many codes to open the door, he led the way inside. 

“Just place it on the table over there, I’ll get to it in a moment.” He walked to the other side of the room while Jonathan did as they were told. They took the time to look at everything. They knew about human technology but they never saw it up close. What really caught their attention was a large bookcase that looked like its shelves were going to collapse it was so filled with books. There were even some books stacked on the floor next to it. 

They started to read the names printed on the spines, some only had names which mildly annoyed them. The majority were related to machinery and engineering but there was a shelf that was solely dedicated to works of fiction. Having found (more like stolen) a few books from park goers, they recognized some the the titles. 

“Do you enjoy reading?”

It was Edward’s turn to appear next to them without making a sound to foretell his arrival. 

“Yes.” 

“Now I have to ask, how did you learn? I know you're not form around here and that you maybe had to learn English, seeing as your original name is in another language.”

“I had years to spare. I don’t exactly remember how but I had to teach myself. It’s not like there was anybody to there to teach me.” 

“I suppose there wasn’t. Well, help yourself to any of the books but I do ask not to fold the tip of the pages and damage the spine. As far as I know, you don’t have any experience with these sorts of things, unless you're secretly an engineer that is, so that leaves you plenty of time to get acquainted with several literary works.” 

He walked to the table and started to work. Jonathan looked at the bookcase in front of them, and decided to grab the first book on the pile on the floor. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories, the sat next to the bookcase and carefully opened the book and started reading. The sounds of Edward working became white noise as they focused on the words in front of them.

When one reads, the passing of time is irrelevant and sometimes we are oblivious of it. You open the book and the next thing you know, it's dark outside and you're in the last chapter. This was case with Jonathan, except that they had finished their second book when they decided it was a good idea to look around and to actually do their job. They hadn’t sensed any danger and everything was like it was except the table Edward was occupying was covered with all sorts of things.

They grabbed another, this time it was The Odyssey. They read a lot slower this time, they were looking up from the book once in a while in order to glance at what Edward was doing. They caught themselves during one of the glances and quickly returned to book. They kept telling themselves they were just checking on them but, for some reason, they knew it was a lie. They couldn’t help but notice that their eyes were smaragdine like spring leaves or that their hair was a lovely shade of orange. They had sharp teeth, sharp claws, but everything about him looked soft. Book. They had to get back to the book, they were meant to be reading after all. 

Once it was finished, the warehouse was illuminated by bright white lights and the small windows near the ceiling showed that it was dark outside. Humans had to eat more often than they did, but they hadn't heard him leave. He was still at his table and it was tidy, but had a lot more things. They walked towards them, their claws clicking on the cold cement and they stood in front of them. 

“I admit that my knowledge of humans is limited, but I must ask if you have eaten?”

“No, not yet. I heard you walk here instead of you just appearing, what made you change your mind?” He was putting something together but it looked like a mess. 

“You don't like being startled.” 

“That's true. How's the reading? Found anything you liked?”

“You have an interesting collection, a very large one too.” They looked back at the bookshelf. 

“It's nothing compared to a proper library but I plan on expanding it.” 

“Perhaps you might want to obtain another shelf before you do.” 

“I've been thinking about that for a while, the floor isn't the nicest place to live, but somethings need to prioritized. 

“Do you like building?”

“I prefer the term creating but yes. How about you, what's something you like?”

“Reading.”

“Other than that.”

“I don’t know.”

“You said you weren’t from around here, so what did you like to do back home?”

They didn’t want to tell him but the way he was looking at them, it almost looked like he was interested in what they had to say. They couldn’t lie to him, not while they were under contract, but did they even want to lie? There were things they didn't want to share but that didn't mean they wanted to lie. 

“Look around, I suppose.” 

“That's it? I figured a supernatural entity would have other things to do.” 

“There were many things to see.” 

“It must have been quite the view if it was all you did.” 

“What are you building?” 

“Oh, this is something that's going to help me get what Oswald ordered.” They tilted their head again. “He's paying me to get information and there is no information that I can't get a hold of. This would make things easier and faster.” 

They nodded, “What time is it?” He placed what he was holding down in order to take a glance at his watch, it looked expensive. 

“Nine-thirty. Have any plans?”

“No, just curious.” 

\-----

First the absolute massacre last night at the docs and now this. Two victims but the same amount of carnage. One simply had a shattered neck and a missing arm but the other was torn to shreds. It couldn't be Croc, he was still in Arkham, Manbat was basically nonexistent, but there was no one else except the Joker but he’s been dead for almost two years. Even if he was still alive it couldn't be him, the marks left by teeth and claws were too large to belong to a hyena and there was no way a knife would cause such a wound. 

He reported the incident and returned to the roofs. Something was killing in his city and his instincts told him it was better not to face it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	5. Flowers, getting help, and an unfinished game of tic-tac-toe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a while to write but here it is!
> 
> I forgot to add this but my buddy made a drawing of what Jon looks like here's the link if you want to check it out
> 
> https://onlygothamdoodles.tumblr.com/post/173199807090/what-jon-looks-like-in-my-friends-fic-what-lurks

“Why are you sitting on the floor? The sofa would be more comfortable.”

“I wanted to be closer to the bookshelf and I didn’t know if it would be considered rude of me to take a seat in your home without permission.” 

“I don't mind you sitting on the sofa, just don't get it dirty.” 

“You have a problem with filth.”

“I don't have a problem with it, I just like my things to be clean and that sofa was ridiculously expensive.” 

“If you wasted so much money on it, why have it here instead of your home?” 

“My apartment, not my home, I have the same one there but I guess you didn't notice.” 

“I didn't.” 

“Well, what are you still doing sitting there?” 

They had the sudden urge to roll their eyes but they knew the action would be wasted because he couldn't see their eyes. They stood up and did as previously mentioned. With their generous pile of books to maintain them entertained for the rest if the night. They didn't necessarily need to sleep but before they would prefer to meet the darkness their unconscious than to the face the reality of their situation. Not anymore, ready would be a thousand times better than having to spend another night with their dreams. 

They knew it was late, later than the night before, and humans needed to rest. That was their excuse for going over for the second or third time that night to see how Edward was holding up. He wasn't. He fell asleep with his head leaning on his arm and that couldn't be comfortable. They needed to move him but they preferred to wake him up in order for him to love himself in case he wouldn't appreciate being touched without their permission. They poked his arm which did nothing.

They poked him again, this time a little harder, and it still did nothing. They looked at one of the books and as much as this would pain them to do this, it was the only solution they could think of. They picked up the largest one raised it and let it fall on the desk. He shifted and for a split second there was hope of him waking up but no. That would have woken anyone up but Edward wasn't anyone. This man could sleep through the apocalypse. They entertained the thought of just throwing the book at him but they couldn't afford to damage the book and their contract wouldn't allow them to hurt him in any way. Luckily they had magic and in no time they were sitting on the floor while Edward slept on the couch. 

They tried to continue reading but somehow they just couldn't concentrate on the the words before them. Their thought were drawn back to the fact that they just did something that their contract didn’t bind them to do. But why? 

The last thing Edward remembered seeing was the disgusting face of his father before he was awoken. Something was holding his shoulders and he tried to push away before he recognized the unnatural but now familiar face. 

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” He sat up and realized he wasn't sitting at his desk but instead he was on the floor next to the couch. They let go of his shoulders and tilted their head. 

“There is no need for you to lie to me Edward. You were having, what I presume to be, a nightmare.”

“I said it's fine Jonathan. How did I get here anyway? I was at my desk a minute ago. 

“You fell asleep but I thought it would be more comfortable for you to sleep on the couch instead. There is no need for you to change the subject. I am merely trying to help.”

Edward ran a hand through his hair. “Nobody asked you to. It’s nothing.”

“I suppose you're right but I'm here to keep you from harm and whatever you saw is causing you emotional pain and that frightens you. It's clearly not nothing.” 

He stayed quiet for a while, looking at the floor. They were technically right but he didn’t want to admit it. They were still looking at him, he could feel their stare and it was starting to get unnerving. Even though he couldn't see his eyes he could tell he was been looked at. He looked up and instead of seeing the usual void that consisted of Jonathan’s eye, he saw that in the midst of the darkness there were two unnaturally blue dots. They were a pale blue and carried an unnatural glow with them. The sudden color clashed with the black and white but they looked like they were meant to be there all along. 

“Your eyes-” As soon as he spoke the word the dots disappeared back into the darkness. “You don’t need to hide them.”

“Who says I’m hiding them? If anyone is hiding something here, it's you.” 

“I'm not hiding anything! Nothing's wrong, I just had a bad dream and that's it!” 

They looked at him and something told him they knew he was lying. “Very well then, I'll leave you be.” 

They stood up and walked back to the pile of books. Edward huffed and laid back down in the sofa and tried to go back to sleep. The lights dimmed as if they knew the brightness was annoying him. He looked over at Jonathan and saw how they slowly waved their hand and how one by one the lights slowly started to go out invading the warehouse in an inky darkness. He was about to say something but stopped because orbs of yellow light started to make their presence known. The sharp white lights were replaced by the soft golden glow.

They were floating lazily across the room. Some closer to the ground than others. He reached towards one of them and without having to touch it, it rested above the palm of his hand. He brought it close to his face and saw the orb bloom into a small flower before it flew back to the others. The sight was nothing but breathtakingly beautiful. He felt like a child again, looking at something new with nothing but wonder in his eyes. 

“What are these things?” He whispered to himself but it was loud enough for Jonathan to hear. 

“Some of them are Aurinia Saxatilis,Calendulas, Strawflowers or cacti flowers.” 

“Flowers don't float by themselves or glow.” 

“They don't, but these are everything but normal flowers.” They walked and sat next to Edward, who in order to get a better look, had moved to the edge of the sofa. 

“Put your hands out.”

Edward gave them a look but did so anyways. They cupped their hands and slowly, glowing flowers of different sizes fell onto his hands. After the flowers had landed, they placed their hands on their lap and looked at Edward who was about to let them fall.

“You can touch them, they won't harm you.”

The flowers were as light as air and he could barely feel them. He cupped his hands in order to keep them from falling and brought them once again close to him. He could see the difference between them, the shape of their petals and their size.Their glow illuminated his face and his eyes glistened. The nightmare was forgotten for his attention was elsewhere. He didn't even realize he started smiling. 

“I've never seen flowers like this.”

“You probably have just not up close. They usually get mistaken for fireflies.”

They stayed in comfortable silence, Edward marveling and the sight before him and Jonathan reading their book. Though the dim light did little to let them read, it was worth it. Edward let the flowers float away from him and settled to look at them from afar. In the distance and darkness they reminded him of stars. It wasn't long until he fell asleep once more, his head leaning on their arm. A warmth bloomed in their chest and they felt the need to pull him close to them. But they didn't. Whatever they were feeling, they wouldn't force it onto him. So they let him rest his head and they continued to read in the impractical light given by the flowers. 

As the slow hours of the night continued, they had finished their book sometime ago, granted they did take longer given the circumstances. They stood up slowly and carefully helped him lay down. They placed two of the flowers close to him and made his way towards the door. They looked back at him, when they saw he was sleeping peacefully, they leaped into the shadows and out into the night. 

They flapped their wings as they decided to move by sky instead of shadow. The night was illuminated by the occasional lamp post but it was still as inky as the night before. The sky was covered by the blanket of dense grey clouds obscuring the stars they knew they wouldn't be able to see but a clear sky was be better than this, at least they could see the moon. 

Returning to the park where the only remaining piece of his home lived. The sapling had grown into a tall, strong tree that almost, almost made them feel at home. Made them feel like this was where they belonged. They sat on one of its branches, it was healthy and thriving, if only the could say the same for themselves. Having eaten not so long ago and remaining in Edward's presence helped but they could feel that they were beginning to weaken. They looked around until they spotted someone walking towards them. They hid in the shadow of the branches and waited. The lamppost next to the tree started to flicker. 

As soon as the were at arms length they pounced and with a strong bite, snapped their neck. Before blood could even leave their injuries, Jonathan placed a hand on their chest and pulled a small blue light from them. The body was drained of all color and their eyes became a milky white. They devoured the soul and the corpse withered and turned to dust before them. The tree looked slightly taller and they felt a little better. But the faint sound of something landing alerted them of a presence. 

\--------

Bruce volunteered to patrol this part of town, mostly because it wasn't that far from the other murder. He landed on the rooftop of a nearby building and scanned the view. The lampposts didn't help in any way but the darkness had always been his closest ally. The park seemed empty except for a young women walking by herself. His attention now focused on her and checking to make sure that nothing was following her. When she approached a tree something pinned her to the ground and he was off the roof in a second. 

He landed behind the thing and was about to attack when it turned around to look at him. Blazing blue eyes stared at him and he was unable to move. With the flickering of the lamppost he could only see a white skull before the thing lunged into the darkness and he followed it. The gust of wind blew the dust away and leaving behind clothing. 

The thing made no noise as it ran but he could see it move in the darkness because whatever this thing was, it was somehow darker. The creature disappeared and he found himself in a very forested area. There was no working lamppost in his proximity but it was eerily quiet. His night vision was already activated but it showed nothing but the trees, benches and useless lampposts. Batarangs at the ready he waited for any signs of movement but everything was still. A heavy silence descended upon them which was occasional interrupted by the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. 

The feeling that something was behind him caused him to turn around and before his hand could let go of the batarang the creature had pinned him to the ground. It let out an unnatural roar that made his ears ring. He saw the skull and its teeth that were about to tear him to shreds. He tried to break its hold but it started to crush his ribs and it was getting harder for him to breathe. But something caught it's attention. Whatever they were going to do to him was quickly forgotten for the let him go and they leapt into the shadows and disappeared before his eyes.

He stood up and noticed a few discarded feathers, he knelt down and examined one. He turned on his audio channel, “Alfred, I found something.” 

\-------  
The warehouse was like they left it except the flowers he left next to Edward had lost their glow and had dried up. He went to his side and saw that he was frowning but was still asleep. He mumbled something in his sleep and tried to push an imaginary object away from him. They placed a hand on his head and they stilled. His features softened and he returned to sleeping peacefully. 

“What happened to you Edward? What memories could possibly haunt your dreams?” They laid down on the floor next to the sofa. Sleep never came for them, so they just stayed there and stared at the wall, his attention going to the safest place they knew, their thoughts. 

\-----

Back at the batcave Bruce was nursing a bruised pair of ribs while the results for the tests on the feather were finishing. 

“Back so soon? I didn't expect to see you till late morning. Will you be having dinner tonight or should I start putting everything in the freezer?”

“Have the others eaten?” 

“I made sure of it sir.” 

He nodded before looking back at the screen. 

“I'll take that as a yes to dinner and if you make me throw out another dish you'll be cooking for yourself from now on.” 

The beep of a machine caught Bruce’s attention and he stood to retrieve the information. A separate screen displayed images and seemingly endless paragraphs of the tests the machine preformed. The feather was still in its original state and he clicked to another window where red text that simply read ‘unknown’ took up the entirety of the screen. He scrolled through see how for every test he made the answer remained the same, ‘unknown’. 

“Found anything sir?” 

“Absolutely nothing. The tests found no information and whatever this is isn't registered in any available data bank, public or not.” 

“It looks like a regular feather to me, you are certain that you searched everywhere?” 

“I've accessed all possible digitally stored data banks.” 

“Have you tried using non digital sources?”

“I doubt they'll be any good.”

“I meant of the other kind of non digital resource.”

Bruce thought for a moment before going back to the computer and typing. While he was still sitting, Alfred took it as an opportunity to place a plate next to him. 

“And what are you planning on doing now?” 

“Looking for someone...” He continued typing before a map and a poster pop up next to the location. He was going to stand up when Alfred have him a look and he turned to look at the plate and sighed. 

\------

Edward woke up mid morning having only vague memories of a nightmare he had but other than that and the uncomfortable feeling that comes after sleeping on a couch, he slept just fine.of course seeing him wearing yesterday's clothes got him a tad annoyed because now one of his suits had a copious amount wrinkles he didn't want to worry about at the moment. 

He looked around and there was no evidence of the flowers ever existing, perhaps it was a dream but he remembered being awake and the moments that came before it. It certainly looked like it belonged in a dream. He found Jonathan curled up next to the sofa, their eyes weren't visible so he had no way of knowing if they were asleep or not. 

“...Jonathan?”

“Yes.” 

“Just checking if you were awake.” He stood up, stretched and made his way to the door. “Are you going to stay there?” 

He got the faint impression that they rolled their eyes but they got up anyway.

Back at his apartment he showered, change clothes and got himself some breakfast. Jonathan was sitting on the couch reading one of the books from his shelf. One of the few fiction novels he had here, granted it was an old copy but it still held itself together and they seemed to be treating it with the utmost care. 

They went back to the warehouse, Edward worked until he fell asleep, Jon moved him to the sofa and woke him up when he had a nightmare and stayed close by until he was asleep once more. They would check on the tree and go back until day would return. They kept this schedule for about two weeks before Edward had finished organizing and creating the devices he was going to use. Meanwhile Jonathan had taken the opportunity to read the entirety of his on site collection and would occasional ask questions. They played chess once or twice, which was interesting seeing that Jonathan had never played before, but Edward quickly discovered that they were a fast learner.

\------

Bruce was waiting in one of the dressing rooms. There were an unusual amount of mirrors and other things he had no need of knowing what they were. The door opened and a woman came in dropping a top hat on a chair. 

“Jesus Bruce!” She turned around and was startled to find the familiar cowled figure. 

“Zatanna. Full night?” 

“Tonight and the night before, I'm surprised you didn't come by earlier.”

“I haven't had the time.”

“Well I guess you're not here to gossip then, so what can I help you with?” 

“You've heard of the two murders that even happened recently-”

“The ones who's crime scenes looked like absolute massacres.”

“There was an attack at a park and I managed to get a look at what might have done.” He handed her a small plastic bag with the feather. “Every test has come back with nothing and there's no database here that can classify it.”

“So you're thinking this is something supernatural.” She took the bag, didn't hold but levitated it close to her palm. 

“That or it's something extraterrestrial or some sort of mutated creature.” 

“But it can't be any of those because we haven't heard from the Watchtower.” 

He gave her a firm nod. “So far there's been no news of anything being remotely close to our atmosphere.” 

“You said you saw it and knowing you, you probably recorded that. Can I get a look so I have an idea what we're dealing with?” 

He gave a look but removed what looked like a small phone from his utility belt. 

“Oh I knew it! You do record everything you see!” 

“Only when I'm on patrols.” 

“Mmhmm, sure.” 

The device projected a small screen and the feed from his cowl played. The creature standing close to the tree and turning to face him with its blue eyes that froze him in place. The creatures roar was still as loud as it had been when it pinned him to the ground and when he was left alone was when the feed stopped. Zatanna returned until it reached the part where the creatures skull was mostly visible. She examined the image and zoomed in to get a closer look but when she did the image would become distorted and pixelated, she couldn't look for any details that might help them categories this thing. 

“Okay, it doesn't look like any demon I've encountered before but it's definitely not an alien.” She slowly removed the feather from the bag, careful not to let it touch her. “I'm going to see if this can tell what exactly it is that you saw.” 

With a wave of her hand the furniture and her belongings moved aside and created a large circle. A large stain of what looked like black ink stood in the middle, she muttered some words under her breath and the ink moved. It started creating circles and sigils until all that was left was a complex circle of symbols and writing Brice couldn't understand. The feather drifted from her hand and landed in a small open space in the middle of it. Her hands glowed a soft purple and floating a of them were similar circles with sigils. After a series of movements from her hands the ink shone purple and the started to move towards the feather.

“It's a rather quick spell, we just need to wait until we get what we're looking for.” 

The ink seemed to be absorbed by the feather the closer it got to it, soon there was no trace of the ink ever being there.

She frowned. “That's never happened be-” Ink spat out of the feather and ancient writing stained the floor and walls. The words seemed to move because by the end of it, whole room was covered by them, including the ceiling. The only things that remained untouched by it was them. 

“How about this?”

“This hasn't happened either.” She looked up at the ceiling.

“Can you read it?”

“Normally I would have no problem but this seems to be encoded.”

“Can you uncode it?” 

She shook her head. “It needs some sort of codex. But not to worry, I know someone who might have just the thing.” 

\---------

Harley had gotten rid of the guards with no problem and they were making their way to the vault. Jonathan was currently hiding in Edward's shadow because Edward demanded that they shouldn't reveal his existence to the others just yet. 

Not because he wanted to protect them or some other ridiculous thing like that, no he didn't want to reveal that he had a weapon more powerful than they could ever hope to have. A supernatural entity at his beck and call and it was hiding right under their noses. 

“I'll keep watch while ya get crackin’ that vault!” 

Getting the first door open was easy enough but then came what he had prepared for. It was a new type of security system which was said to be unbreakable, that was something Edward was going to prove wrong. He opened his briefcase which in the beginning he thought was going to be an inconvenience but proved useful as a way to knock out guards. He got out what he had spent so much time creating and quickly got to work. 

“What was the point of bringing me here if I'm going to do nothing?” 

“Well, you're here in case things go south, which is highly unlikely to happen by the way.” 

“So I'm just here as insurance?” 

“If it's bothering you so much you can go check on the surveillance feeds.” 

His shadow elongated until a part of it split away from the rest, it slithered up the wall and disappeared when it reached the corner. Inside the room that had a ridiculous amount of screens all squished together in front of a desk and monitor, they checked to see if it was still playing the looped footage of the empty hallways. They remained intact, satisfied with what they saw they slithered out of the room and back to Edward unaware of a small blinking red light. 

Edward was almost done, it had taken him longer than usual but this was something he hadn't seen before and he was rather proud of the fact that he got to this point so fast. 

“Everything's in order?” He didn't even need to turn around to see what was there, he just felt the now familiar presence. 

“Yes.” 

Just then the sound of running was getting close to them and before they could react a bright black and red outfit popped into view. 

“We need to get outta here!” 

“Harley?”

“There's too many of them and they got guns! We need to move NOW!” 

The sound of bullets hitting the side of the wall further emphasized her point. More running was heard, this time it was louder and the vault door opened. Before thinking it through he took her hand and pulled her inside and closed the door just as bullets hit where they stood. The sound of the mechanisms moving concealed that of the shouting before it settled into silence. 

Inside was a space that could fit four people comfortably so it wasn't really an issue. Edward started looking through files and opening briefcase after briefcase before stopping and releasing a sound of triumph. 

“Here it is! Just as planned.” He took the object and placed it inside a pocket in his suit. 

“That's great Eddie but how the hell are we gonna get outta here?! They could open that door at any moment and turn us into swiss cheese!” 

“Relax Harley, this vault can't be cracked by them and I doubt they have the key.” 

“But ya left your stuff outside!” 

“Those idiots won't be able to use it. And while we're here, I'm going to look around.” 

He went back to the already opened briefcases and started taking pictures of papers. Harley pouted and looked around, bored. She sat down and drew an invisible tic-tac-toe board and started playing by herself. She was on her fourth game and had just placed down her first circle when a clawed hand appeared and traced an x on the square next to it. 

She looked at he hand, her eyes wide and dinner plates, she opened and closed them just to make sure it was really there. She looked at Edward and back at the hand, then at Edwards and back at the hand again. It was made of complete darkness, there was an arm attached to it and it came out from under one of the filing cabinets. She shrugged and traced another circle. She won that round and the hand traced a board in order for a rematch. 

The sudden sound of the vault's mechanisms moving interrupted what seemed like their tenth game and it had startled Edward causing him to drop his small device. The hand had vanished and she was a little upset that they didn't finish the game, it wasn't even real tic-tac-toe it had morphed into a combination of random games and rules but still, she was winning. 

“Think now would be a good time to leave?”

“Won't argue this time.” He picked up his devise, brushed some nonexistent dust from it and placed it on his pocket. 

A darkness surrounded them and it was cold. When they opened the vault, guns at the ready, all that remained were a couple of loose papers and black feathers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I think the flowers part was a little too much but I'm too lazy to change it. Anyway thanks for reading and the kudos!


	6. A sleepover and nearly getting answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to write accents and I hope you can forgive me.

When the darkness faded into light they found themselves standing in the middle of Edward's warehouse. The cold was still there but it starting to leave.

“Edward, do ya have any powers that ya haven't told me about yet?” 

“No.”

“Then how the hell did we get here?” She waved her arms around frantically. 

“Well….” 

Harley sat down on the couch waiting for an explanation. The clawed hand was back, it waved at her to get her attention and it retraced the board where they left off on the cushion next to her. Edward was too busy thinking of a somewhat acceptable explanation for their rescue to notice that Harkey had stopped looking at him. He took a deep breath, cleared his throat and said nothing when he saw that Harley was busy tracing shapes on a cushion with Jonathan's arm across from her.

“Harley?”

“Hmmm? Oh Eddie! This is Hand, Hand meet Eddie! We were in the middle of a game of tic-tac-toe back in the vault when we were transported here, didn't think we would get the chance to finish the match but I think they followed us back.” 

Edward looked annoyed to say the least. He sighed, not wanting to do this but he didn't really have any other option here. “Harley they're the one who brought us back.”

“Say that again?” 

“This is Jonathan, you can show yourself now, it's not like you did a very good job at staying hidden.” 

In a blink of an eye there was a creature sitting on the couch and all that Harley could do was stare. As far as she could tell it was staring right back. 

“Hey.” She waved at them and they tilted their head. 

“Hello.” It said back and the sound of their voice sent chills down her spine. “We’ve already met but you don't recognize me for I wasn't in this form.”

She gave Edward a puzzled look who nodded in response to her silent question. 

“Ya name is Jonathan right?”

“Yes.”

She thought for a moment until a light bulb lit up on her head. “Ya the cat!? And ya didn't think to tell me sooner? Okay, I wanna know everything’! Are like roommates or something? How did you me-”

“Okay, Harley I didn’t tell you or anybody else because Jonathan here is supposed to be kept secret. Their my-”

“Servant.”

“I was thinking you're more like a bodyguard.”

“Yet I still need to obey your every command.”

Edward huffed. “The point is, they are a valuable asset that I don’t want any of our associates to know about because-”

“Ya don't want them to know ya got somethin’ that's stronger than them?”

“Yes, exactly. I also don’t want Batman to be aware that I have something that can defeat him in a physical way, we all know I'm his intellectual superior after all. You understand right?”

“Sure! Don’t worry Eddie I won't tell a soul about ya buddy here except for Red.”

“Now hold on-”

“I can’t lie to Red and ya know that! She’ll know I’m hiding something because she’s Red!”

“You tell her and the news spreads like wildfire!”

“No it won’t, Red real good at keeping a secret and I’ll make sure she doesn’t spill!”

“I can erase her memories if this is going to be a problem.” Both of them looked at Jonathan at the same time and Harley looked at Edward who was actually considering it.

“Oh don't ya even think about it Eddie, I’m not having nobody mess around with my brain!” 

“Fine fine! Tell Pamela what you want but if anybody else finds out, including Selina-”

“Find out what?” There stood Selina leaning on the open door. 

“For heaven’s sake. Selina dear, what the hell are you doing here? Better yet, who did you get past my security?”

“Well I was passing by the neighborhood and I thought to drop in to say hi. Though I see you already have company around. As for security, you know it can only do so much.”

She made her way towards them closing the door behind her. 

“Hiya Lina!”

“Harl good to see you. Eddie it's not nice to keep secrets especially from me. So what is this exactly, some new robot?”

“I am no machine.”

There was something about that eyeless stare that made her uncomfortable. You couldn't see that they were staring at you, you could feel it and it felt like you were being dissected and held under a microscope. 

“Okay, Selina Jonathan, Jonathan Selina. Introductions are done we all know each other, perfect. Now as I was saying no one else can now that Jonathan exists because he's an asset I don’t want everyone to know about.”

Selina sat down on the empty spot on the couch that was between Harley and Jonathan. “Make sure to stay in your square.” She said as she checked on her claws. 

“I don’t take commands from you.”

“But you do take commands. What are you? An oversized dog?” The thing tensed but did nothing. 

“Stop it Lina,” Edward brought a chair over and sat down. “I know you won’t leave until I tell you everything but in exchange I don’t want any word of this to anybody else.”

“Except for Red!”

“Except for Pamela. It’s very simple and very short. I was walking through the park after making a deal at the docks, they appear and force me to make a deal with them and that's it.”

“Boo! That was lame!” Harley shouted from her seat on the couch. 

“And you just made a deal with this? No questions asked?” Selina lifted an eyebrow. 

“It was that or dying right then and there. I decided that if I'm going to die at least I'm going to get something out of it.” Edward suddenly felt exhausted, god he should have slept instead of fixing things that didn’t need fixing.

“There's got to be more to this! Ya just suck at storytelling Ed. Jon ya tell us what happened since Eddie here is leaving out all the detail.”

They looked at Edward who shrugged so they started speaking. It was the same thing, just worded differently and significantly longer but by the end of it they had acquired a captive audience. 

“See Eddie that's how ya do it!” She looked at him and discovered that he had fallen asleep with his arms crossed. 

“You should leave. I don't think Edward would want you stay here while he’s unconscious.” 

“Relax furball, we stay over at his place all the time! Plus he got an extra rooms in the back for a reason.” Harley stood up and skipped her way to a back door. 

They looked back at Edward and wondered why he didn’t mention this to him sooner, he would have been able to sleep in a bed instead of the couch.

“Well come on Lina!” She rolled her eyes and to follow her but stopped when she heard faint footsteps behind her. 

They were taller than she expected, they did look more menacing but they were carrying Edward so carefully, it didn’t really look right. Edward’s head was resting on their chest and they were carrying him bridal style but something told her that they were being as careful as they could. She'd seen their claws, though she didn’t know how sharp they were, they still looked like they were making sure not to hurt him. She kept walking and the faint footsteps started again. 

Harley had already claimed the room with two beds for them to share so Edward got the room across from them. The door was still closed but that didn’t seem to be a problem because they just walked right through it. That surprised her and made Harley let out a small ‘cool’ before she opened the door to see if they needed any help. They didn’t, Edward was already laid down with the covers around him. Jonathan placed a golden flower next to them and she immediately grew suspicious. She walked over until she was right next to them. 

“What is that?”

“He has nightmares every now and then, this help keep them away. He hasn't slept in almost two days, he needs to rest.” 

“That awfully considerate of you.”

“My work is to keep him from harm's way and this is just me doing it. The nightmares hurt him even though he won’t admit it. He’s holding on to this fear but I suspect he wouldn't want you to know.” 

She nodded and walked back to the room she and Harley were staying in, she made sure to leave the door from both rooms open. She would check up on Edward later to make sure that flower did what it was supposed to do. 

“Hey Lina, ya think this is weird?” 

“Oh definitely.” 

She didn't remember when she fell asleep but she woke up to the sound of murmurs. She got up but notices that Jonathan was already at Edward's side carefully shaking him wake. 

“Edward. Edward wake up.” 

After a moment Edward did just that. He sat up slowly and he rubbed his eyes.

“What….is it?” His eyes slowly opened and his words were slow and slurred. “Where am I?” He looked around the room confused, last thing he remembered was listening to Jonathan in the main room. 

“Harley told me about you having extra rooms here. She and Selina are in the other one.” 

He hummed in response and leaned his back on the wall. 

“Edward why didn't you tell me you had rooms here? I'm sure it would have been better for you to sleep on a bed instead of a couch.”

“Must have slipped my mind…”

“Very well then, do you want to talk about your dream? I've read talking about it helps-”

“I don't need to talk about it. Why do you care anyway?”

“You wanted me to keep you from harm but this is hurting you and you won't let me fix it. You're scared of somethings I don't know about but that you have no control over.”

“I'm not scared.” 

They gave them a look but instead of saying anything they just let out a small puff of air.

“Alright then. I'll leave you to rest.” 

They stood up and the realization that being alone right now wouldn't be the best idea, Edward took hold of their hand before they could move. 

“Can...you stay here...please?” 

They sat back down on the floor next to the bed, Edward laid back down and after cocooning himself with his blankets he looked back at Jonathan just to make sure they didn't leave. 

After seeing that Edward was alright she went back to bed. She looked over across the room and Harley was still asleep snoring softly. 

Edward woke up to a loud bang and only then did he realize that he was still holding their hand. He looked over and they were still sitting on the same spot as last night. He let go of their hand which caused them to look at him. 

“You're awake.”

“I'm aware. What was that? The bang I just heard.” 

“That would be the door. Selina and Harley insisted they be the ones to bring breakfast.” 

He yawned and stood up from the bed. He saw his wrinkled suit and frowned. He really needed to stop falling asleep in them, taking them to the dry cleaners was a headache he didn't need. 

“Well come on, they're probably waiting for us.” 

His desk where he had spent countless hours tinkering away was cleared of all his equipment in its place were plastic plates and bags of food. 

“Mornin’ Eddie! Good to see y’are already awake ‘cause I was just about to make my way over there.” 

“I'm sure that wasn't going to be necessary.” 

“I think it was, ya sleep and nothin’ can wake ya up!”

“Well the ruckus you made making your way in here was more than enough.” 

He sat down at the table and Selina was kind enough to bring coffee, sure it was from a generic coffee store but it was better than nothing. Harley and Selina joined him at the table and they started taking out styrofoam containers from brown paper bags. 

“That's for ya Eddie and that's for me and...hey! Where's Johnny?” 

He served himself some of the food Harley had handed him and then placed it at the center.

“I'm right here.” They said from their spot near the bookcase, they had started rereading one of his favorites.

“Well what are ya waitin’ for? Foods gonna get cold.” 

They gave her what must have been a confused look because he looked at Edward as if asking if he knew what she was talking about. 

“I would prefer if I stayed here while you eat.”

“JOHNNY GET OVER HERE!” 

They didn't expect the sudden increase of noise and they nearly dropped the book. 

“Jonathan do as she says.” 

Without a choice now he slowly walked over and sat in an empty seat next to Edward. Harley beamed and placed a styrofoam container in front of them which did nothing but confuse them further. 

“Well, open it.”

The first try they had to open it, they ended up poking a small hole which caused them to try again this time more carefully. They were still getting used to being careful, thinks here were easily broken and they already knew how fragile human could be. Inside the was a large quantity of different foods. Some of them smelled like meat while others had this sweet aroma they couldn't place and that they could somewhat tolerate. 

“What is this?” 

“It's food dummy!” What she said wasn't very understandable because of the amount of food she had in her mouth. 

“Harley please.” Edward looked away for a second, he hated when people talked with their mouths full.

“What she means is that this is some breakfast food. She didn't know what you liked so she just took some of everything.” Selina explained while eating a completely different meal which he knew was fruit. 

“This is for me?”

“Obviously!” 

“Harley!”

“Sorry Eddie. But yeah it's yours, so eat!” 

They looked down at the food, they didn't eat human food, not because they couldn't, they just didn't see the need of eating what he didn't need. It wasn't like human food helped them stay alive. So they never really bothered to try it. It wasn't something they wanted to pick up now. They really didn't want to eat it but something told them if they didn't at least try it, it would hurt her feelings. Not that they cared but still.

They picked a piece from the sweet smelling thing, it broke apart easily it looked like bread, they knew bread so maybe this would be similar. They tried it, it was sweeter than expected, too sweet for them. There was also this syrup on it, it was too much.

“Whatcha think? Isn't it the best thing ever?!” 

Edward must have noticed their hesitation to answer. “You don't have to eat if you don't want to.” 

They looked at him as a silent thanks but didn't make a move to try any of other food seeing as it was all covered with that syrup. 

“So ya don't like pancakes?”

“It's too sweet for me, but I thank you for the gesture.”

“Well what do ya eat? We can't leave ya going hungry can we?” 

“I rarely eat, it's not really a necessity for me.”

“Really? But when you do, do you have a specific diet or is it just whatever?” Selina joined the conversation, intrigued by knowing more about Edward's inhuman companion. 

“I'm afraid you won't be able to bring what I mainly eat but it's not something for you to take care of. I can eat fruits once in a while.” They threw that last piece of information just because they knew they were going to keep asking until they told them something. 

The rest ate in relative silence, Harley would make a comment every now and then, and when she finished she ate Jonathan's food seemingly unfazed. Humans really were complicated, they understood their emotions and ways of thinking but everything we was a mystery to them. Even though they lived among them for so long, they just discovered how little attention they had paid to the beings around them. 

\-----

“He's late.” 

“He's like that.” 

They had finally managed to contact him the night before and know they've been waiting over an hour for him to show up.

“He's the only one that can help us.” 

“For the millionth time yes. I've worked with him before and he knows his stuff.” 

A portal opened and a rather shabby looking man stepped out. He lit a cigarette and made his way towards them. 

“Look dove, I'm in the middle of something right now so whatever you need, it better be good.” 

“Good morning to you too.” 

“And what's he doing here? This isn't the place for maniac in a fursuit.” 

“I'm the one who brought this to her attention.” 

“Well we don't need you anymore so you can just run along now.” 

Bruce glared at him. 

“Okay enough both of you. He's staying here because he knows this city best and you're here because I need you to decide something.” She opened a portal in front of them and stepped aside. “After you.” 

Constantine stepped inside the dressing room and let out a whistle. “Love what you did with the place.” 

The others stepped inside too, the black writing was still there as prominent as ever. Constantine crouched down to see one of the segments on the floor. He cast a blue flame and when he reached out to touch the writing it withered away. His brow furrowed and he extinguished the flame, once it was gone the writing returned to normal. 

“Can you read it?” 

“Sure, but I'll need you to step out for a minute.” 

“Why can't you do it with us in the room?” 

“Because I need the space, so would you kindly?” He pointed at the door in an over exaggerated way. 

“Let’s just get this over with.” Zatanna left the dressing room, Bruce not far behind her. He shot a glare at Constantine who winked in return. 

“Now what?”

“Just let him do his thing, it won't take long-” 

A loud bang and Constantine being blasted through the door cut her mid sentence. He landed not to far from where they stood and he looked slightly confused.

“Well that was something.” 

\-----A few hours later-------

“You sure it's here.”

“Mostly.” 

They were digging around in a library filled with a sea of bookshelves. There were piles of books on the floor, on any surface around them and so far they still didn't have what they were looking for. 

“What do you mean mostly?” Bruce looked up from where he was looking slightly irritated. He had informed the others of the current situation and it looked like he wouldn't be on patrol anytime soon. “That thing can attack at any moment.” 

“I know. I saw your little video by the way, I know this thing is ‘urgent’, no need to get your knickers in a twist.”

“Can't you summon the book?

“It's not that simple.” Zatanna looked at both of them. “But we won't be making any progress if you two keep stopping for conversations. Talk and work.” 

\------

Selina and Harley had left a few hours ago, the place had been cleaned after their meal and they didn't stay for much longer afterwards. Edward went back to working which left Jonathan with nothing to do. Sure they could read the books but they'd practically memorized them already, though they did enjoy rereading a few passages from some of them. 

“You're pacing around. Is something wrong?”

They stopped just realizing that they had been walking. “No, I didn't mean to interrupt.”

“Bored?”

They tilted they're head at him.

“What do you do when you're bored?” 

That was a surprising difficult question for no definitive answer came to mind. They would just wander around to see that everything was how it should be. 

“I am unsure.”

“How so?”

“I used to wander but that was an activity I partaked on regularly and not exclusively to when I was bored. I find that I greatly enjoy the books you have lend me but I can only reread them so many times.” 

“How about I show you around the city?” 

“I...am not against to the idea but I would need to become one of my different forms..”

“Well what can you turn into?”

“I've mostly turned into a crow or a cat.”

“Have you ever tried transforming into a human?” 

They stopped to think. The idea had never crossed them before and in their current state they didn't know if they could do it but the look in Edward’s eyes made them want to at least try. 

“I can make an attempt, though I would prefer to do so privately.”

“Oh sure, I can go to one of the rooms-”

“I'll go, you should remain here.” He closed the door behind him and stepped into the room he had stayed in last night. This couldn't be that difficult they had transformed into other things before just not this.

\------

“Did you find it?” Bruce said for what seemed to the millionth time. He would do a complete background check of this guy later but now he had to put up with him making them run around in circles. 

“Yeah I just needed this.” Constantine held up a small bottle up. 

They had found the book not long after Zatanna had broken their previous discussion and they had been looking for ingredient after ingredient, which Bruce saw as a waste of time but decided to keep that to himself.

Zatanna was looking closely at the the book’s text and as she took the bottle from his hands. She let it drop into the solution that was held in a bowl. The bottle hot the liquid but didn't cause a ripple in the water, it just seemed to have phased through. 

“kaepS.” Zatanna whispers and with a wave of her hand the liquid start to glow. “Now we wait.” 

The writing on the walls slowly started to glow too. Soon the light started to spread beyond the writing and it covered the walls and then everything. The light became blinding and they blinked and they were standing in the middle of a forest in the middle of the night.

“Okay now what?” Constantine looked around, the darkness not helping much. 

“What was the spell supposed to do?”

“Translate text or showed you what you need to know.” 

“Well I guess it decided to show us.” 

There was a soft glow in the distance and it was making its way slowly towards them. They hid behind some trees and waited. As it got closer, they could make it that the glowing was coming from the floor and that it would die down after a while. Then it was walking in front of them, they couldn't see its face but they recognized it either way. As it stepped golden flowers would emerge from the floor and spread their light before fading to nothing. No one moved and the creature kept walking and they soon returned to the darkness they arrived in. Zatanna was the first to move and she followed the trail that they had left. 

“Wait.” Seeing as that did nothing to stop her, Bruce ran to catch up with her.

“This better be bloody worth it.” And Constantine ran after the both of them. 

\-------

“I'm sorry this didn't turn out how you wanted.” They were sitting on a park bench, Jonathan as a cat and Edward as himself. 

“Though it isn't ideal it's better than nothing.”

“I suppose you're right.”

“I always am.” 

Though he wasn't looking at Jonathan he could practically hear him roll his eyes. “Whatever you say.” 

There was a brief pause of silence as a runner ran past them.

“Why a cat? I know why you did it back at my place but before that.”

“I didn't see one until I was here. I found them curious and that most humans here don't pay them much attention. They usually keep their distance when I'm in this form which is probably for the best.”

“Why? Don't want to pet?”

“I don't like being picked up.” 

A woman and a small child passed by, the child's attention suddenly on the cat. 

“Mama look it's a kitty!” They left their mother’s side and rushed to the bench. Before any of them could do anything the kid placed a hand on their head. 

For a second Edward swore that they were going to react in a violent way but instead they just sat there staring at the kid. They let out a meow and the kid started to stroke their fur. They tried to move away but the child was persistent and Edward was looking at the scene with some fond amusement. The kid then made the mistake of pulling on their tail and that got a hiss out of them and a faint scratch on their hand. 

The kid backed off and started to tear up. Sensing the child's distress they lowered their ears and meowed at them. They then pressed their hand against their hand and gave the scratch a quick lick. The kid sniffled but gave them a small smile before patting their head again. They heard their name being called and they ran back to where their mother was after giving them a quick wave. 

“So I'm guessing you don't minds pets.” 

“They're a child. They don't know better.” 

“Still.” Just to mess around, Edward placed a hand on their hand and scratched behind their ears. Never would he have expected them to curl up on his lap and let him pet him as much as he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zatanna uses her spells by talking backwards, she just said speak if anybody was wondering.


	7. Enlightens one and addles the other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter for spook month, I hope that I get to updated again soon. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and the lovely comments!

Back at the warehouse Jonathan was back to their usual form. Edward was tinkering at his desk and they had gotten curious about what he was doing and was currently helping him. It was mostly them handing him things, nothing major. 

“Could you pass me the fuse?” They looked at the small components on the table and grabbed one at random. “That’s a battery. The fuse has a similar shape but its transparent.” 

They look back at the table and takes something that resembles whatever Edward was describing. “This?”

“Yeah that's it.” He did something with it that they could not understand and they weren’t going to ask for an explanation. All this was unnecessarily complicated and it would be a waste of time explaining it to them. “Okay now I need the battery.” 

They picked up the piece and then their vision started to blur and they felt a pull on their conscience. They handed it to Edward but they couldn't hear what he said. They took a step back and a sharp pain in their head made them stop. Edward was saying something but when he heard no answer he looked up from his work and saw Jonathan bringing his hands to his head. 

“Jonathan, are you okay?”

He opened his mouth to answer and then he blacked out. 

\------

Bruce kept running and was only stopped by Zatanna’s extended arm. They were at the edge of the trees and the creature was sitting on a log not for from the water. The golden flowers had spread around the log and on the floor and this time they continued to glow, illuminating the creature in their golden light. They could see its horns, they had leaves and small golden flowers growing on them too. Constantine arrived and stopped next to them as they watched the scene in front of them. 

The creature didn't move or acknowledge them in any way. It just sat there looking at the water. Zatanna slowly walked towards it and stood next to it. It slowly turned it's head to face her and she could see the glowing blue eyes. They were calm and had an air of melancholy to them. It lifted her hand and placed something on it. It turned back to look at the water and then there was fire. 

The creature had disappeared and she ran, making her way towards Bruce and Constantine who were standing behind a shield that he created. 

“What the hell is going on?!”

“I don't know!”

The fire was getting closer to them, breaking the shield. “Dammit it!” They ran back into the forest hopping to get away from the flames. The forest provided more shelter but when they tried to run back, the water and shore had disappeared and all that remained was the flame. The kept moving, casting the occasional shield or two but they would never last. A loud scream of pain and terror pierced the air and before they could react the flames consumed them. 

Their world went black but instead of pain they felt cold. The freezing feeling crawled it’s way into their core and they opened their eyes, unaware that they had closed them. Instead of the forest they found themselves in wasteland of smoke and ash, the burnt shells of fallen trees and branches littered the space and the flowers and grass that decorated the floor was gone. Zatanna stood up, not seeing Bruce or Constantine nearby so she started walking. Bruce was still knocked out when Constantine stood up. He pushed him with his foot and tried to shake him awake but he didn’t respond. 

“If you’re dead Zatanna is going to kill me. So don’t go anywhere.” Constantine cast a spell and markings on the ground started guiding his way. Bruce stayed laying on the ground still unconscious. 

She didn't know how long she had walked but it felt like an eternity. The coldness was ever present and the scenery wasn't helping. The smoke became thicker and it was becoming harder to see, she cast several spells all of which wouldn't last a second before flickering out. So she kept walking blindly seeing as the smoke had enveloped her and she couldn't see the way she came from. The smell of burning still hung heavy in the air and it was getting harder to breathe with every step. While trying to cast yet another spell she bumped into something and fell back. 

“Why did you bring me here?” 

The smoke slowly cleared and the creature was sitting with their back to her. She moved closer and she noticed that the flowers had left their horns and that they were also burnt and cracked. She moved and stood at their side and she saw the burnt flesh still clinging to certain parts of their skull. The smell of the gore made her eyes sting but she moved closer. She couldn't see their eyes, the glowing blue was replaced with an empty darkness. 

“We’re looking for answers. We didn’t know the spell would bring you here.” 

“Ask then so I may leave.” 

“What are you doing in Gotham?”

“I am bound to the city.”

“Are you cursed?”

“In a way. I have to stay in the city in order to live. I wouldn't last very long if I were to leave.” 

She stood silent unsure if asking the next question would be a good idea, but they weren't violent. They were just sitting on the floor their hands covering something as if they were protecting it. 

“Are you evil?”

“I do what I need to survive, whether that makes me evil is up to you.” 

“But, do you purposely cause harm? Do you want to make others suffer?”

“I do what needs to be done, if beings have to die because of this then yes I do cause harm. I try not to make them suffer but one tends to get carried away.” 

“Those people are innocent.”

“I wouldn't call criminals innocent.”

“But you've killed more than just criminals.”

“That I have.” 

She turns away from them and takes a breath before looking back at what they’re holding. “What is that in your hands?” 

Their hands moved closer together before relaxing then moving apart to reveal a small plant. The only spot of green in a sea of grey. “The only thing left of this place. I take it you saw it before it went up in flames and before I came here.” 

“Yes. You were there with us, you gave me this…” her hands were empty. Whatever they had given her was gone. Confused she searched her pockets and the ground around her. 

“I woke up here when things were already like this. You might have seen the ghost of my former self but I don’t remember ever seeing or giving you something.” 

She sat down where she was standing and looked at how close they were sitting to the small plant and how their hands moved closer to it as she sat down. “Why do you protect it?”

“Look around you, it’s all I have left of this place and I’m not planning on losing it because of my carelessness.” 

“Is this what you do to survive?”

“You ask too many questions.”

“And you've been giving me all the answers but why?”

“I would prefer to not be bothered again by you or you're companions.”

“If you don’t stop then you will see us again.”

“Then I see there is no point in continuing this conversation and there is no point in me staying here any longer.” They stood up to their full height and they towered over her in a way that made her feel small and insignificant. They were about to start walking away when they were knocked down with a spell.

“You alright there love?” Constantine walked over to where she was, Zatanna was already at her feet and she rushed towards him. 

“What are you doing?”

“Well, I saw you and this thing and decided it would be a good idea if I distracted it so that you could get away.”

“I wasn’t captured, I sat there willingly!”

Constantine looked at her and was grabbed and thrown by some roots that emerged from the ground. He winced when standing up and he brushed off some dirt from his jacket. 

“If that's how you want to play.” He summoned some roots of his own and instead of them flying towards them, they lunged at him, wrapping themselves around him and immobilizing him. “Bloody hell!” He started to struggle against the restraints so they just held on tighter, he stopped when he started to loose feeling of his extremities. It looked like they were about to do something else when they stopped and remained still. Everything seemed to stop as an echo of a muffled voice rang through the space and the roots slowly started to untangle and crawl back into the earth. 

The voice increased in volume but the words were still slurred. Constantine was left standing on the floor but didn’t move. The air felt heavy and smoke was back to being the blinding wall that divided them from before. It was getting harder to breath and the urge to close their eyes was too strong. 

\-----

“Jonathan!” Edward shook the body in front of him and then it moved. He got out of the way when they stood up without taking him into consideration. They walked about two steps and then they fell again. “Jonathan, what happened?” 

They looked to be trying to stand up but instead chose to remain seated. Edward sat down next to them, his worry barely showing from the emotionless facade he had. “Nothing of importance for now.” 

“Nothing of importance? You were out for almost half an hour!” 

Jonathan took a deep breath. “They used a spell, a powerful one, and they got inside my head bringing me with them.”

“And that isn’t important to you?” His worry started to get to his voice. Why was he so worried? 

“Just a minor inconvenience. I’m sure they won’t try again.”

“But they can?” 

“Doubtful, they need a part of me in order to cast it. I think they might have gotten one of my feathers.”

“From where? It’s not like you go full out everywhere we go. Plus I go everywhere with you so it’s not like I would have noticed you dropping feathers here and there.”

“Not everywhere. When you were sleeping, I went back to the park to check up on something.”

“You...snuck out?” He was confused but not really shocked by the revelation and Edward briefly wondered if this was what a parent felt when they found out someone snuck out of the house unnoticed by everyone else. 

“I was back before you woke up.”

“Why?” Was all that he could ask at the moment. 

“I had to check on my tree and I might have gotten carried away and I ate a soul.” 

“You ate a soul? Just like that? No deal or anything?”

“No.” 

“Didn’t you need to make a deal in order to get someone's soul?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I think you're the one making things complicated.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You tell me.” 

“You're being childish.”

“And you're confusing. You said one thing and now you say it doesn't necessarily have to be like that. You don’t make sense. Aren’t you not supposed to be able to lie?”

“I'm not lying.”

“Then you're just saying partial truths.” He was started to get irritated by this. He thought about what they’d told him and everything he was hearing now, it didn’t seem to add up. 

“I am.” 

“Why?” They didn’t say anything, they just looked down at the floor in front of them and they didn’t meet his eye. “Fine. Don’t tell me, you just go on and keep everything to yourself. I don’t even want to know.” 

He stood up and went back to the work he had abandoned when Jonathan had passed out. They turned to look at him as he walked back and they were about to say something but caught themselves. It wouldn't do any good. They sat there for a good half hour before slowly standing up and curling up on the sofa. They made themselves smaller so that they would fit, and they waited for sleep to drag them away.

\--------

Bruce was the first to wake up and though he struggled a bit, he managed to stand up. They were back in the library, Zatanna and Constantine lay unconscious next to him and they appeared to be unharmed. Except for a rip on Constantine’s trench coat. 

The room was in a weary darkness with no outside light or flame to get rid of it. His night vision allowed him to see just fine and it wasn't long until they started to get up. Zatanna coughed while Constantine groaned and reached for his head. 

“Remind me to never do that again.” With a flick of his wrist room was bathed in the warm light of scattered candles and a chandelier. “But please tell me that we know what this thing is.”

“No, but I know why it's here. It can't leave because it'll die if it does.”

“Well, that was one hell of a ride for so little information.” He put lit a cigarette to his lips and took a drag. 

“Did you find out anything that might help us?” 

“It was protecting something, a plant of sorts, I think that's what's keeping them alive. If we find it we can relocate it somewhere where it can't harm anyone.”

“Or we turn that thing to ash and problem solved.” 

“Before we decide how to deal with it, we need to know how to find it.”

“You wouldn't have any more of those feathers?” Bruce gave them a glare. “Didn't think so. Well, we're fucked.” 

“Not entirely. If we find that plant we can find them.”

“And how are we going to do that.” 

Zatanna stopped and thought for a moment, they didn't have anything to lead them to it or anything to trace. Then she felt a small, almost unnoticeable weight in her pocket. She reached inside and pulled out a small brilliant green leaf. “With this.” 

\-----

Jonathan knew this was a dream yet they wanted nothing more than to get rid of it. They were standing behind a familiar figure sitting on the log next to the water. 

“How long have we been clinging to this?” The figure didn't turn to face them, it didn't need to. 

“You know that already.”

“I want to hear us say it.” Their voice was soft but their words were sharp. They weren't happy with them, they never were. 

“Since I let this place burn.”

“And we've been wallowing in out guilt for how long?” Jonathan didn't speak. “Say it.” 

“For just as long as if been clinging to this memory.” 

The both stayed quiet before the figure signaled for them to sit down next to them. They moved slowly, already dreading what was to come but at the same time accepting it. 

“It's time for this to stop. We have to stop holding on to this.” 

“I know.”

“Then why haven't we? This is what's holding us back, it's killing us.”

“It's all I have left.” The figure looked at them and they saw the face of their past self. Their eyes held disappointment and that ever present melancholy. 

“How many souls must we consume in order to keep this alive?”

“As many as it takes.”

“Even Edward's?” 

“If it must come down to it yes. Even his.” 

“Then we have become fools. Can't we see? We can't do that to him.” 

“Why not?” 

“We've felt it. That warmth when he's near, that sense of being alive instead of a ghost grasping at strings of the past. The need to be there for him, to see that he's safe, that he's happy.” 

“We made a deal-”

“This is more than the deal! It might have started out that way but the contract never mentions our heart. We have something now, we can finally let this go and move on.” 

“And do what, to continue living as a human's slave for the rest of eternity?”

“We won't be a slave anymore. We will have a new home, a real home with someone to share it with. And a heart that will accept us as we are. Don't we want that?” 

“It doesn't matter what I want.”

“Of course it matters! We want this but we're letting our past get in the way.” 

“And even if I did want this to happen, even if I did want him, he would never want me.”

“He could grow to. He might not see it yet but it's there, we've sensed it but we've ignored it like everything else. He might not want us know but he will.” 

“I'm a monster and he's...he's… He would never want a thing like me.” 

“We're all monsters, he just needs to know us better. We need to tell him the truth, no more hiding it behind elaborate phrases and cursive words. If we want this then we must let him in.” 

“But I'll die.”

“We'll live long enough to see his life through if we stop this right now. We were always going to die, we've just been pushing the deadline.” 

“If he dies before me then he'll take my heart with him.” 

“Our heart is already his to take. Don't fear death, it's been patient for this long, it will wait a while longer.” 

Jonathan opened their eyes and they were back in the warehouse and on the couch. They glanced at Edward and he was focused on his work and they let out a small sigh. He was still upset, they could tell. They spared him another glance before slipping into the shadows and moving to one of the back rooms. Edward looked up and he noticed the door to rooms close with a small click. He huffed and went back to what he was doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we've established (even though it hasn't been stated until now I think) that I don't pre-read any of my chapters so heads up for spelling mistakes or funky sentences.


	8. A (brief) adventure in shapeshifting

He wasn't paying attention to the passage of time but when he looked up and saw that Jonathan hadn’t returned to the room, he was a little upset and somewhat disappointed. He put his work down and made his way towards the door, while doing so he was thinking whether or not he should apologize but at the same time he had the right to be angry. They had been somewhat lying to him this entire time and now there were people looking for them. All the other doors were open except for one. 

He took a breath and walked towards it, slowly he was in no hurry to do this and he didn’t really want to do this in the first place. He knocked on the door like every polite person does and waited.

No answer. 

“Jonathan?” He knocked on the door again, this time a little louder.

No answer. 

He took a hold of the doorknob and saw that the door was unlocked. Having already previously knocked, he opened the door and was met with an empty room. Edward entered the room with some uncertainty but there was no change. No sudden appearance, no shadows, no nothing. It was just empty. He looked behind the door and something compelled him to look under the bed but there was nothing waiting for him there. He checkered d the bathroom and there was nothing out of the ordinary. He went back to the main room, for some reason hoping that Jonathan would be there sitting on the sofa or near the bookshelf, but it was just as he left it. Jonathan had left without letting him know, not that he wanted to know where he was going or that he couldn't leave, just a little heads up might have been good. 

Back at his work table he started to grow uninterested on his small side project before he decided to move on to something else. He retrieved the small device and the photographs he had gathered from the vault they broke into and spread them out on the table. He started organizing things by categories: potential blackmail, useful for the future, important information, sellable, and what we actually came for. Once that was done he moved on to the object he found in one of the briefcases. 

To the regular eye it might look like a fancy USB key but Edward knew that this was so much more. Of course what he needed to do first was find a way to open it. The surface was smooth with no visible trace of an opening and then he knew this was going to take a while. 

\------

After three failed tracking spells and only half a leaf left, Zatanna was ready to give up. Constantine was already on his fifth cigarette and Bruce had left a few hours ago. 

“Please tell me you found something.” She rested her eyes and hoped for something. 

“That’s a no from me.”

Maybe they needed a break or they weren’t paying attention to the right things. Maybe they didn’t even need a tracking spell and they were just wasting their time. With a sigh she stood up and went back to the books. 

“You should take a break dove.”

“I’ll take a break when I find a way to track this thing.”

“Then you should take it now.” 

“Look who finally decided to show!” Constantine put out his cigarette as Bruce made his way towards them. “So you know where to finds this thing?” 

“Yes.”

They stayed in awkward silence for a moment. 

“Would you like to share with the group how you did it?”

Bruce pulled out the scan results. “I remember the park where I first encountered it, I then ran a test of the trees and hoped that one might match with the leaf.” 

“So you just ran around a park scanning trees during all this time?”

“At least I found it.” 

“Point taken mate. Doesn’t make any less ridiculous, but point taken. So what now? I say we burn that tree down and problem solved.”

“No! We don’t know what this creature is. It was peaceful before you decided to attack it so maybe we can negotiate with it first.”

“I’m just saying we should just take the simplest route out of this fucking mess.”

“And I’m saying we could use this opportunity to collect valuable insight on a creature that isn’t found in any of my records. Bruce help me with this.” 

Zatanna gave him a look, a look that said ‘if you don’t agree with me you’re going to regret ever being born’. Instead of showing any fear, not that he had any to begin with, he just sighed. 

“I’m with her on this.”

“Well fuck that!” Constantine threw his arms in the arm and got a new out a cigarette, he got rid of his old one and lit the new one. “You see this?! You’re making me smoke more than usual. If I get cancer I expect you to find a cure mister money bags.” 

Brushing over the fact that Constantine knew his actual identity he turned to Zatanna. “How are we going to negotiate with the creature?”

“Maybe you should also ask, how the fuck are we going to get it where we want it to be in the first place!?” 

She took of her hat and sat down. “For seeing the creature we can just go to the tree, if it’s protecting it then it should be able to sense if we’re near it. As far as negotiations go, I’m not sure how we’re going to pull that one off.” 

They stay silent for a second before Constantine looked like he just had an epiphany. “You guys are going to bloody love me.” 

———-

Once Edward left the room they felt like they could breathe again. They had to be more careful seeing as they almost got caught, it was a split second decision that got him to hide in the shadow of the door instead of under the bed. Luckily for them Edward only looked behind the door and didn’t pay close attention the the small shadow. 

They stood back up to their reduced height and focused. Just like transforming into a cat or crow, just that this time it was a human. Humans have two legs and arms, a torso, neck and head. So many parts with so many details to pick and choose. How many fingers on a hand, what color eyes, what color hair, too much to consider. They opened their eyes and sighed. Maybe they should plan more, already have envisioned how they want to see and just assemble all the parts, instead of focusing on what’s what while trying to become them.

So Jonathan sat back down and thought for what seemed like hours. Unmoving, they looked like a statue and one would think they weren’t breathing their movements were so small, even the rise and fall of their chest. It felt like hours but it was merely minutes. They stood up and focused once more.

This time they had everything envisioned, it just needed to be put together, to become whole. They closed their eyes. So with a clear image in their mind, they focused their concentration, their power, their want into becoming the shell they had designed. The changes started small.

The first to change were the eyes, they became round and solid, they didn’t notice for they couldn’t see them. Then was the coloring of their fur and feathers and then the changes became more drastic. Their skull face/head started to shift, their horns started to disappear, their height shifted again. Some other bones in their body started to move and shrink. Instead of crying out in pain and fear they were silent and focused. Just like their other transformations, just that this time it was slower, more painful, they still hadn’t grown used to it. Skin replaced feathers and their fur moved away to reveal clothes and hair. Claws became short nails and their fangs become teeth. 

They opened their new eyes and stared at the room in front of them. They had shrunk in size again but they weren’t as short as Edward. They stared at their new hands, they looked skeletal, with long fingers and protruding bones. They went to the bathroom mirror to see the rest of their work. Their hair was a dark brown and it looked more like a birds nest than hair. His skin was pale, almost as if they had never been out in the sunlight. They had defined cheekbones but their eyes remained their brilliant shade of blue. At least they had something from their previous body. Now they could head out and walk amongst the crowds without them suspecting a thing. So they moved into the shadows and left the room. 

———-

“Okay listen, you know how when that thing attacked you it stopped for a moment and then left.” They nodded. “What if they were working with someone and that someone told them to lay off and leave? Think about it there’s no other reason for the thing to just get up and leave, it could have just finished you off, don’t mean it offensively, and then gone on it’s way.”

Zatanna thought about it for a while. “That...actually make some sense, but then who could be working with them.”

“Or maybe the creature is being held against its will and that’s why it had to leave.”

“That explains why it gave me the leaf, it wants us to help them. We have to go to the tree and meet up with them to get more information.”

Bruce held up a hand. “We can’t do anything right now, let’s wait till nightfall to go. We also have to acknowledge the probability that they might not show up.”

“Or that whoever is holding them hostage might make an appearance.”

“That is if there’s someone else involved.”

Constantine let yet another, bad habits die hard, cigarette. “What if there was another person/being but it wasn’t a hostage situation? What if whoever is working with this thing is doing it willingly?”

“That’s something else we have to consider before we go tonight.”

“Meanwhile let’s get lunch. You’re buying batsy.” 

———-

They walked on the sidewalk, hands inside their pockets, they didn’t have any at first but after seeing some store their phone in one they saw them as useful and fascinating little things. The streets looked different when you weren’t seeing them from the floor or the sky, the streets were still dirty and it still occasionally smelled like sewage, but it looked different nonetheless. 

They would stop and look at whatever the stores were displaying behind the glass. Sometimes they sold things he’d seen in Edward’s home, or it was different articles of clothing. A particular green piece caught their eye and they noticed that some of the other people walking had something similar to it wrapped around their necks. It looked like he was going to have to exchange some of the green paper they’ve seen for it. They disappeared into the shadows and carefully moved to that of a man who was carrying several bags. They then remembered that some humans stored the green papers inside leather contraptions and they placed those inside pockets, like the ones they had created. They slowly and meticulously searched the pockets that were available to them and it didn’t take long for them to find the leather contraption. They moved aside as the man continued to walk and once he was at a safe distance they made sure no one could see them before moving out. Jonathan opened the wallet they had just stolen, not knowing that it was called a wallet, and removed all the money, including the coins, from it before letting it fall to the ground. They had no idea what the plastic things were and they weren’t interested in finding out. 

They opened the door, a small bell announcing his presence, and they walked to wherever the piece was. It was a ‘scarf’ as the tag said and under it was a series of numbers. They had learned the shapes and meanings behind numbers so they knew had to basic math, which is quite the achievement since no other creature he knew could decipher this without needing human help. 

“Welcome. Is there anything I can help you with?” A young woman who wasn’t there before was standing next to them.

“I was looking at the scarf.” Their voice was different, it sounded more grounded, it wasn’t too deep and they had some sort of accent. 

“Oh okay, if you need help with anything else just let me know.” 

They nodded and the woman went behind the counter. They continued to look at the scarf and it’s various shades of green reminded him of the suits Edward wore. Their thoughts drifted to how the colors matched their eyes and how it would look nice on them. With a shake of their head they snapped out of that train of thought.

“Excuse miss, I would like to buy it.” 

“Of course.” They went to another room which confuses them since the scarf was right there but they came back with one in their hands. Maybe she sensed his confusion because she then said, “That one for display only but we got the exact same ones in the back too.” 

“I see.” 

They scanned the tag and tapped on a screen. “Cash or credit?”

Unsure of which one meant green paper they went with the first one. “Cash.” 

She tapped on the screen again. “Twenty-five dollars is your total and is this a gift?” 

They handed her the corresponding green papers. “Yes it is.” 

“Would you like it wrapped?”

“Yes?”

“Okay just give me a minute.” They took the money, tapped on the screen again and started to ‘wrap’ the scarf. They took out a small thin box and some colored tissue paper and the carefully arranged the scarf inside it. They wrapped the box in colorful paper after closing it and then placed that in a bag along with two small papers that a machine had created. Overall, they found the process a bit long and unnecessary. “Here you go, hope you have a nice day.”

“You too?” They found themselves saying as they took the bag and left the store. They could have just gone there and taken it but after all the books they’ve read they figured the meaning behind going and changing the green paper (now dubbed dollars) for things, and then covering those things with colored paper and handing it to someone else without telling them beforehand. Humans considered the whole process of gift giving special. They even had different types of gifts, this one in particular was to apologize. They usually wouldn’t do this but that soft, warm feeling in their chest compelled them to. Now the problem was knowing what they were going to say and how. A problem to think over as they returned to the shadows and made their way back to the warehouse.

————-

It took him longer than he expected and it was an embarrassing amount of time wasted for him to realize that he needed a fingerprint to open it. That was easily bypassed but the shame still remained. Edward has plugged the thing into his computer (yes it was a fancy USB but also so much more) and worked on getting through security codes and even more security codes. That went by faster seeing as their security codes were simple instead of well thought out, a shame really. Where they found this was none of his concern but they must have paid a small fortune for it. All that money thrown away because their codes were just slightly better than ‘12345’. A tragedy of shakespearean proportions. 

After the nearly nightmarish task of clicking the same button over and over again, a page opened revealing rows and rows of files. He searched for a specific word and voila, what he went through all that trouble to recover was finally in his hands. He took out his phone, clicked on one of his contacts and waited.

“Yes?”

“Oswald! I have great news! I have why you ordered and I was wondering when it will be an appropriate time to drop it off.”

“That is great news indeed. Unfortunately I find myself occupied at the moment but later tonight would be ideal.”

“Very well I’ll see you there.” 

He hung up and dropped the phone on his desk. He stood up from the chair he’d occupied for a few hours and stretched. They had a couple of extra hours before needing to get ready so that was that. 

“Jon are you there?” He found himself asking out loud to the empty room. It had gotten a little lonely without them there, even if they didn’t talk or understand some of what he said they were willing to listen and learn, plus it was nice to have company. 

“Jon?” 

“Yes.” They we’re back to their usual form, not wanting to reveal that to him just yet, and he was hiding the bag behind his back. 

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to answer since you’ve been missing for some time.” He was a little startled when he saw and heard them but his annoyance was still ever present.

“I had something to take care of.”

“Would you like to tell me about it or are you just going to lie to me again?”

“I didn’t lie to you and yes but not yet. I first want to apologize for keeping certain things from you. Those decisions were made without much thought and without considering how they might affect you.” 

“Huh?” Edward was surprised by the apology, he had expected them to avoid the question altogether and change the subject. 

“I got you this.” They held out the bag, which looked so much smaller in their hands, and waited for him to take it. “I read that it’s a human costume to get something when apologizing and I thought that this would be fitting.” 

Edward, momentarily speechless, eyed the bag with uncertainty before taking it. Jonathan looked at them expectedly and he took out the box from the bag. He opened it slowly, moved the colored tissue paper out of the way, and carefully picked up the scarf. It was multiple shades of green and it was beautiful. 

“Thank you Jonathan. It’s nice. But this doesn’t mean that I don’t want an explanation.”

“And you’ll have it. I guess we better sit down for this, it’s going to be a long conversation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late but hey better late than never! Also this is probably the last chapter of 2018 unless I manage to get one done befor New Years. Anyway thanks for reading and please leave a comment/kudo if you want!


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